Southern Gentlemen Know Best
by XXMellygirlXX
Summary: Formally Nice guys finish last, if they finish. Just about Chekov and the girl of his dreams. And a frenchie who's up to no good :o
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! My first fic! I made the account and essentially left it to rot for 3 months because I realized that… well I had nothing to write about. Huh, how's that for a giant "WAKE UP SWEETHEART" sticker (most likely stuck to the inside of my eyelids). Anyways, enjoy, review (please! ********) and constructive criticism is always encouraged! Had to write this about Chekov. I mean, who doesn't love him?!**

_**Disclaimer: I own just about as much as the homeless man that lives at the end of your street…(which depending on the neighborhood you live in, could mean a lot of things) just the cardboard box that can be compared to as the plot.**_

…_so not only have I achieved the ship's coveted most pinched cheek's award, I am now official CPR dummy, _thought Chekov as he lay on the gurney in Sickbay with a face redder than Uhura's uniform shirt. McCoy repeatedly demonstrated proper chest compressions to the group of new medical ensigns who were all trying their best to contain their laughter at the poor, young ensign's misfortune.

McCoy had insisted that CPR procedure's were best demonstrated on a real life-form, rather than the 6-D holograms the ship was equip with. Since Chekov was (as McCoy put it) "Young, hearty, and light weight", he made the best choice for his demonstration. When Chekov had suggested that maybe one of the petite female nurses would suffice, McCoy said that a proper southern gentleman never put a lady in "that kind of position".

So, here he was beet-face and sore while countless, nameless faces stared at him snickered behind their hands. Correction, one was not nameless. It had a name that made Chekov feel as though he had been sucking on the tip of a white-out pen. M.O. Gavin Charmont. Yes, it was French, and yes, he was a big-enough ass-hole to correct you if you didn't pronounce it as such (not that he spoke any).

If there were to be a bigger womanizer than Kirk located in the quadrant, he would have been standing not five feet from Chekov. M.O. Charmont had tapped more ass than an inter-galactic pimp and had no scruples when it came to sharing his conquest. The catch: he was only 19 (20 in 3 months, as he reminded _everyone_). He had been the only competition to Chekov in all of his academy years. Even though they specialized in different fields, there was always pressure between the two of them to come top in the class or impress the most professors. He had been previously been aboard the _U.S.S. Valor_, but had been re-assigned when all of the ladies on the ship started throwing around the term "sexual harassment charges" a little too much for Captain Ovler's liking. He was only allowed to come on the _Enterprise_ on probation and the terms that he was a "changed and respectful" man. Kirk had taken a shine to him since day one (which was two weeks ago on the day).

He was very young, but as common knowledge states, when there is someone younger then you, you don't get treated young at all. . The entire crew invited him to have a drink when the _Enterprise_ was in dry-dock. He was allowed at all of the "big-boy" lunch tables in the mess hall. And girls swooned when he said their name. All Chekov made the men do was laugh and ruffle his curls while the ladies cooed and kissed his forehead. It made him sick.

"…so if you feel any bruising or soreness just take two of them. Got it, kid?" McCoy asked, shaking Chekov from his revere.  
"Oh, uh, yez surr. So, em I free to leef, or waz zer more you need from me?"  
"Nope, I'm good for now kid, but I'll give you a holler if – FOR GOD SAKE, DO THAT IN YOUR OWN QUARTERS ON YOUR OWN TIME! CHARMONT, I ASKED YOU 20 MINUTES AGO TO TEND TO ENGEINEER ROSSEN'S BROKEN LEG, NOT SWAP SPIT WITH NURSE KALEB! BOTH OF YOU HAVE JOBS TO DO! DO THEM!" McCoy had finished his tirade just as the nurse and Charmont finished wiping their mouths. Chekov couldn't believe it. Just this morning, he had been playing footsies with a tall red-head from Communications in the mess hall. This guy just never gave up.

"Surr, why do you not rreeport zem to ze Keptain? Zat M.O. needz to be repreemanded."  
"Kid, I've tried to get that boy what's comin' to him, but Kirk just says that he's got "spunk". McCoy's ever-present surly brown dropped lower. McCoy was possibly one of the only other people on the ship who detested Charmont almost as much as Chekov.  
"Spunk is just bullshit for 'got a lot of balls'" McCoy's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, his eyes popped right back open again.  
"Hey, there was a girl in the group we just had, uh, Zeklos, Yeah, Zeklos. Ensign Zeklos. She's actually down in Armory and Artillery. Tiny, pretty, little thing, really atypical arms specialist. Anyways, do you know her?"

Chekov hadn't noticed much lying on the gurney. He had been concentrating on keeping his blushing to a minimum (and failed). "No surr, I notized no one firmiliar in ze group. Why do you ask?"  
"Well, she kept starin' at yeah like she felt bad. Everyone one else wasn't so… understanding. Just wondering if she had met you before, that's all". McCoy turned back to a table at which he had been sorting hypo-sprays. Chekov hadn't met this girl, and if she had seen his humiliating duty of real-life CPR doll, maybe he didn't want to.

**No worries, he will. If I have messed up epically, please let me no ASAP! **

**And, hey, while your there, maybe write down the things you did like. Just a thought ******


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so here's chapter 2. By the way, if anyone has a better idea for the name of this fic, please share! I'll give you full credit. It's just I came up with the title so late at night and it was kind of just temp, so I could post it. Much love,**

**Melly **

Chekov began his long walk back to the bridge. They were docked in Vulcan-Beta for the time being, overseeing construction of the new colonies and helping the Vulcan's re-establish them selves. They had been there for 2 weeks, but were leaving that afternoon when the _U.S.S. Taurus _would come and take over.Things were going smoothly and efficiently (as if anyone would expect less of the Vulcan's), but it was still going to take a lot before they could call it home.

Chekov didn't _need _to return to the bridge, they weren't leaving for another 3 hours, but he had left one of his consoles on and thought it best that he turn it off. There wouldn't be more than two people there, as everyone else was on lunch. His stomach was churning, reminding him that it was his lunch, too. At lunch he usually just sat with Sulu, Ensign Cromler and Lt. Braxton. Sulu had to be one of his best friends on the bridge. However, he didn't understand why everyone thought he was gay. Didn't they know he had a girlfriend on Earth? He spoke of her often and Chekov couldn't understand why people didn't know.

He reached the bridge and stepped through the swooshing doors. As he thought, there were only two people working on the bridge, with the addition of two Engineers. One was on his back, looking underneath one of the communication consoles, while the other was standing with their back facing Chekov and reading from a list of tasks that were obviously for her superior's approval. Even though all the excitement was happening under the console, with sparks flying and the occasionally burst of flames erupting for the gnarled wires, Chekov couldn't take his eyes off of the young Ensign with her back to him.

From the view he was receiving, he could see that her dark, mocha-brown hair was shiny with soft tendril-curls that would have hung past her shoulder blades, had it not been in a ponytail. She was wearing the long-sleeved red uniform shit, but instead of the usual skirt worn by most female crewmembers, she had chosen the tighter men's pants, which she had cut and rolled into almost-short-shorts. She had a tiny, dancer waist, but curves that were obvious from the back, or the front. She was toned however. She was overall petite and her skin was a light olive tone. Chekov suspected it would have been darker, if she weren't under the florescent lights 24/7. It hinted at European origins.

Chekov hadn't realized how long he had been lingering at the console until the girl turned around and smacked right into him. They both fell backwards, him hitting the floor, and her being caught by the elderly Engineer, who had been under the console not 5 seconds ago.  
"Ohmygods! I'm sooo sorry, are you ok? I should really pay more attention! Are you hurt?" the girl babbled, clearly repentant for something that had mostly not been her fault. She was lithe on her feet and sprung to help Chekov up.  
"No, no! I em ok, I juzt shouldn't day drrream zo much. Are you ok Meez…?"  
"Ensign Zeklos, but you can call me Karrina. Yes I'm fine. Frankie caught me."  
Wait, Zeklos? Great. Just his luck. This was the girl who had felt sorry for his misfortune in sickbay. She had seen his red-faced fool display. She was just another girl who would coo at him in the halls. He was reluctant to look into her face now, but he knew that it was rude to stare at the floor when talking to someone.

He got a jolt in his stomach when he realized that this girl couldn't be any older than he was. She had beautiful high cheek bones and plump pink lips. Her features were exotic, yet with an elfin-quality to them that gave her a look of mischievousness. She had a tiny ski-jump nose and eyes that were wide and bright. The eyes she had were the only ones he had seen that were more unique than his own teal ones. They were slightly purple around the edges, then fading into violet towards the pupil. The girl was simply exquisite.  
"Uh… Well…yez, zank you, umm…" he came at a loss for words and figured this would just be another thing she would remember him for: being unable to form a coherent sentence comprised of semi-intelligent words.  
"Oh don't even worry about it. But, you're going to have to let me make it up to you. How 'bout you join me for lunch? We should really get going though, my shift starts in half an hour." She picked up the papers she had dropped and handed them to Frankie. They exchanged a few words on the repairs, she gave Frankie a kiss on each cheek, and with that he departed. "So, would you like to join me?" she smiled at Chekov with movie star straight, white teeth.  
"Well, okay, but you muzt lit me carry zat for you," he motioned to the duffle bag that had the repair equipment in it.  
"I think you have yourself a deal".

**Sorry, not super long and a lot of description, but I like to give readers a clear picture of my characters. The next chapter involves COVERSATION and CONFRONTATION : )  
And hey, feel free to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3, here she be :P. Oh, and if anyone caught that messed up sentence in the pervious chapter pertaining to Vulcan-Beta, there was a glitch in the file, which I tried to upload again but it came out the same. Sorry about that.**

**Enjoy!**

Chekov was absolutely dying inside to know just how old this girl was. She looked mature enough to be his age or older, but her features were infused youth. His mother had always reminded him to never ask a lady her age, but curiosity got the best of him, as per usual.  
"Umm, Meez Zeklos – "  
"Please call me Karrina, or Karri, if you want."  
"Ok, Karrina," he rolled the "r" in her name; his accent allowed him do nothing else. "I waz juzt vondering, umm, how old you ver? Seemply because you look much younger zan ze typical Starfleet crewmember." He stumbled through the sentence in hopes it would make the question sound less prying.  
"Oh well, funny you ask that because you look kind of young for Starfleet yourself. But, I'm 17." She said this with pride as she stuck her chin out slightly when she was done.  
"Vell, I am also 17." He said kind of shyly, but not as much so as when he was speaking to people much older than him. He let out a sigh of relief because this was another person who could possibly understand the torment of being the youngest.  
"That's good. You were probably one of those wiz-kids who breezed trough the classes that people much older than you struggled with. I also know that you probably don't like being called wiz-kid." She finished with that dazzling smile and a tinkling laugh that made Chekov smile a really dopey smile.  
"I guess zey call you Viz-kid as vell?" he ran his hand through his caramel curls sheepishly.  
"Oh, you know it. But, let's get some food first, then we'll chat." The rumbling in Chekov's stomach led him not to argue with her. They both grabbed plates and sat at a vacant table in the corner of the room. Many of the tables were empty as they were nearing the end of first lunch and moving in to second lunch. Most of the senior officers and bridge staff ate during the first lunch, so most people Chekov knew were already back on shift.

Karrina had picked up a forkful of pasta salad when she put it down immediately and stared at Chekov. "Wait," she said "I didn't even ask you your name! I'm such a scatter brain sometimes." Her voice was melodic and Chekov could listen to it all day.  
"Ensign Pavel Chekov. You can call me Pavel." He said mimicking her tone from earlier. She continued to stare at him when she snapped her fingers and said "You were the guy in the CPR demonstration!" her eyes immediately grew sympathetic. _Great,_ he thought. He had been hoping she wouldn't recognize him and they could just skip that whole conversation. He was about to explain when she said, "Don't worry about it. I'm the youngest down in Armory and they usually used me for the "inside jobs". This usually means I have to physically crawl inside the foton–blaster and fix it. I always come out dirty and covered in oil." This gave Chekov a few mental images he wasn't too proud of.

He was about to ask Karrina about he name, for it sounded something along the Romanian-Russian-Austrian line when none other than Charmont slammed his tray down on the table. Charmont was the typical "lady killer". Perfectly quaffed black hair, chiseled jaw, bright green-eyes, a good 4 inches taller than Chekov's 5'8" frame and a six-pack to top it all off.

"Gavin Charmont, M.O." He said with a look he probably thought was attractive, but reminded him of a brothel rapist in Moscow. Chekov immediately looked at the ground. He heard Charmont say

"Why have I not seen such a gorgeous girl on such a small ship?" Karrina blushed and said  
"Well, your up in Sick bay and I'm down in the Armory."

"A cute thing like you working down in the Armory? No way, pretty girls deserve to be seen by the light of the stars." This sent Karrina on another blushing fit and Chekov's eyebrows to sink lower. "Oh," Charmont said, pretending to notice Chekov for the first time since he sat down. "I see you've met Chekov here. What have you girl's been chatting about? Aww, you know I'm just teasing you, White Russian." He said, clapping him on the arm. White Russian. This was Charmont's annoying nickname for Chekov. It had nothing to do with the beverage (Chekov detested White Russians), it had to do with the fact that Chekov didn't carry the same year-round "French glow" as Charmont (which Chekov knew for a fact came from Tirillium pigment pills that he took religiously).

Chekov looked up and glared at Charmont. Karrina, sensing the tension, excused herself, but not before saying "How about I see you tomorrow for lunch, Chekov?" she offered him a small smile. He obliged with a small head nod. She came around to his side of the table a placed a kiss on each of his cheeks, which blushed in turn. As she was walking past the door she "Oh, and bye Charmont." Which was accompanied with a half hearted wave. Then she left.

"So you've met and you think you have a shot?" fired Charmont, all faux friendliness gone from his voice.  
"I vas juzt having lunch weeth herr. She asked me if I would join herr, and I obligede." Chekov shot back with equal venom in his voice. Despite the accent, it came off rather sinister. Charmont, not used to being rivaled in abilities to be menacing or getting girls, quickly countered,  
"Let me just save you time and energy by telling you this" he began in a mock whisper, "no one wants a boy when they can have a man. No one. So why don't you let me handle _les fillies_ and you can handle your shiny navigation console. I know how much kids love flashing lights and buttons." He smacked him mock-playfully twice on the cheek and strode off. A group of nurses at the next table chuckled at the scene they had just witnessed. _Well,_ Chekov thought, _If he wants to play like that, I'll just have to join the game._ Because, as his mother would quote, "War doesn't determine who's right, war determines who's left ."

*****Next chapter – McCoy to the rescue! Woooo! If anyone knows who said that quote, let me know so I can credit it in the next chapter.**

**Reviews are wonderful things! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go with chapter 4---- : )**

"_Why is he never here when people actually need something?!"_ Chekov thought disdainfully. Bones was always available for physicals (that were always uncomfortable) and hypos for cosmic diseases (that could not even be located for light-years). He knew that he was only bitter and vindictive because his ex-tyrant of a wife would only give him limited time with his daughter and sold most of his possessions (and whatever wasn't sold was burned). Chekov figured he might be little bitter too, if all life was handing was shit-storms.

He ran to one of the nurses on duty. Nurse Gabond, possibly the oldest Starfleet crewmember still working, was Chekov's favourite nurse. She was a tiny old lady with crinkly, water-blue eyes and her grey hair always in a tight knot. Not only was she Chekov's favourite, but among the crew as well, due to the fact that she would often skim over their names if they were listed for an unneeded check-up.

"What can I get for you dear?" she inquired of Chekov. "I em here to see Doctorrr McCoy, pliss." "Oh, honey, I think he's on break now, but if you don't tell him I told you, you can go back and see him." With a kind smile, the Nurse turned and apprehended a dazed crewman, who was stumbling around, quite obviously drunk.

Three quick, hard raps on the door were enough to wake McCoy from his mid-day nap. The panels whooshed open to reveal a stern-looking C.M.O. "What do you want, kid?" he snapped. This was the eighth day in a row his nap had been interrupted. That would have been ok, had there been a real emergency, but he was being woken because he was picking up all the slack Charmont was dropping. Charmont often stuck around for first _and_ second lunch, having a grand-old time while the remaining 2 M.O.'s and himself tended to everything else. They were often denied breaks because of Charmont's gallivanting. But of course, we all know what the Captain would say to the complaining."Spunk" was his excuse for everything.

"I need to know how to be a ladiez man. Ken you teech me?"Chekov shot McCoy puppy-dog eyes. If he was going to be considered cute until he was 40, he was going milk it for all it was worth.

"Why do you need to know that _now?!_ Can't you ask me, let's say, any time _other _than my break?!"

"No! You muzt assist me! I em in battle wiz ze mozt impossible enemy! Zer iz no time for leter!" Chekov was flailing his arms about and practically jumping on the spot.

"Wow, a Russian at war, that's a rarity."

"Pliss, Bonez! "

The doctor stared at him for a few moments and said "Fine, but it _will _have to be later, 'cause your shift is about to start and _I _would like a NAP! Meet me here at about… 6:30. By then, we will have docked at Orion, and then you can come and cry to me about your pubescent problems. Now scram!"

"Oh, zank you surr!" he gave McCoy a quick hug, as custom of his homeland when someone did you a great service.

McCoy briskly shook him off. "First lesson, don't hug other men! In public, in private, at death's door, 'don't care, don't do it. Sheesh." And with that, he closed the door.

***

At promptly 6:30, Chekov entered Sickbay and strode over to McCoy's office. With out even knocking on the door, he heard a muffled "come in", and didn't hesitate to open the door. McCoy was sitting at his desk tapping away on his PADD. When Chekov sat down he looked up and grimaced. "Wow try to look enthusiastic." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, as Chekov was beaming and slightly hopping around in his seat. "Will you wipe that look off your face? It subtracts about 10 years off of your actually very short life. My nephew doesn't even get that look and he's a toddler." Chekov promptly stifled his smile and muttered an apology. "So tell me, what has your tighty-whiteys in a twist?"

Chekov briefly explained his meeting with Ensign Zeklos. He also told him about his altercation with Charmont. "Zo, should I maybe git a hair-cut? Or learn how to dance well or – "

"NO! What kind of crap 21-century movies have you been watching? You can't just go and make yourself over! She'll know that you did that for her and your chance is gone. The only reason Charmont may have a fighting chance is because he a cad, which at first just comes off as confidence to girls. By the time they realize he just a jackass, he's already gone. You are an untouched virgin in all senses of the word and have no experience with girls. Am I wrong?" Chekov shook his head. "So, I suppose we'll have to use that to your advantage. Let's just start off with where your mind's at. Where would you take her on a date?" McCoy waved his hand as thought he was speaking hypothetically.

"Well, perhaps ve vould go to ze moviez or zomthing?"

"NO!" McCoy bellowed. "Why would you do that?! You don't talk at all! You can't even see each other! What am I working with here? Okay, for a _first_ date, you get limited choices that get even more limited 'cause we're on this damn ship. Sulu taught you how to fence right?

"I em fairly good," he said with pride. "Not az good az Sulu, but he haz had much trrraining."

"So you can either teacher her to fence or take her out to a special dinner in the mess hall after hours. To be honest, option 1 is much more instantly gratifying … if you know what I mean." McCoy gave a small wink and a sly smile.

"Vat _do_ you mean by 'grrratifying'?" the puzzled look on his face earned an appalled look form McCoy.

"Okay, we went from baby steps to fetus steps. Oi Vey. Think about it this way," his voice took on a dream like quality "imagine that you two are in the workout room at night and only the late shift is on. You have the room to yourselves. She's wearing a tiny little tank-top and tight black booty-shorts. She doesn't know how to perform the two step combo you just demonstrated and you have to _physically_ show her. You grab her elbow gently and curve yourself around her hip… get were I'm going with this?" McCoy waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Maybe that vould be bezt left for anozer date?" he gulped and looked at the floor in an attempt to shake the pink from his cheeks and the uncomfortable feeling in his pants.

"Fine. If your gonna act like a little girl, I noticed on the Graveyard corridor patrol schedule it was her turn tomorrow night. Ask her if she would like some company. It's perfect. It's late at night, it's quiet, no chance of interruptions from unwanted guests, and no one will be around if you get shot down…" McCoy muttered the last part.

"Sorry, vat vas zat surr?"

"Nothing. Just remember, compliments are nice in moderation, be honest or it'll bite you in the ass, don't mention ex-boyfriends, ask about her family – but not to much so she feels homesick, and keep everything light as this is only a pre-first-date. Got it?"

"Uh…"

"Now get out. I have all of these dang records to file and more just pouring in from all of the shipmates getting blitz out on Orion. Crazy green Martians, freaks' me out more than the hobgoblin." his southern accent becoming thicker when he went on a tirade.

Chekov was about to leave when McCoy called out "and kid, you got ways to go before you can be classified as a 'ladies man'. Come see me after your date. Just not during MY break!"

**Hope you enjoyed, if you have any good ideas about what they should talk about on their walk about (haha I know how to rhyme…kinda) feel free to let me know… hey, how about in a review?! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy mes petites! Sorry, got French on the brain? I wouldn't recommend it : )**

Chekov slept restlessly, which was usual for him because he just never got used to going to bed with the stars and waking with them as well. This night, however, his restlessness was under toned with excitement. He was constantly trying to formulate the perfect instance in which to "casually" ask if Karrina would care for company on her patrol. He switched around his words constantly, thus keeping himself awake. The dreams he was having, all beginning with him and Karrina on a date to the movies and all ending in some horrific fashion or another (he had spilled his drink on himself, he realized she had left early and didn't tell him, or the one he had twice where she somehow was having sex with Charmont in the men's bathroom and laughing at what a child Chekov was) were also not helping with peaceful sleep. He didn't understand why he was so hung-up on her. He had only talked to her once, and he felt this possessive, protective responsibility over her. He knew that he really hadn't earned the right to feel that way. Yet.

The morning shift was dragging on like a cat trying to claw its way up a curtain. Everything was highly uneventful, except for the Captain coming to the bridge partially inebriated from whatever insane (probably lethal in large quantities) narcotics that were available on Orion.

They had been on the planet to pick up the Orion royalty they were supposed to transport to Earth, which would be their last stop before shore leave. They had the duty of harboring Her Majesty Queen Calara the Third and Her husband, King Uspeter. Along with the monarchs came their 22-year-old daughter, Princess Roanette. To say that the princess was beautiful was indisputable; she had already been ogled by half of the male crewmen. Chekov enjoyed the Orion race as much as the next person but found their partying and their out-of-control pheromones to grow tiresome.

The voice came over the intercom to signal the end of the morning shift and Chekov couldn't have jumped up fast enough, nearly bumping into his stoic first officer. "Is there a previous engagement you must attend that is causing you to accelerate your normal movements, Ensign?" inquired Spock, as he raised one of his slanted eyebrows.

"Uh, no surr… I juzt rrremembered zat I left ze t.v. on in my quarters. Have a good day, surr." Chekov stumbled to get his words out before Spock could ask him any more questions. He swiftly stepped past the puzzled Vulcan, and continued on a brisk walk down the corridor.

He reached the Mess hall before most of the first lunch crowd was there. He scanned the almost empty room and saw Karrina standing in (sure to be growing) short line. She waved to him and smiled. Boy, did he love that smile. He strode over, trying to stand tall, while refraining from looking like a pompous idiot. She was wearing her usual long-sleeved red uniform shirt and the make-shift short-shorts. He noticed that she had something rather larger than the regular phaser in her holster. "Vat have you got zer, Miss Karrina?"

"Oh, I forgot to leave this in the lab. We were testing new hand-held weapons. This one should be circulated around the crew in a few months. Don't worry though; it doesn't have the battery pack in it. I always make sure to take the battery pack out. We wouldn't want some one wandering in and causing havoc." She giggled her wind-chime laugh.

"Yez, like ze Keptain, perhaps." He muttered so the people next in line for the hot food wouldn't hear.

"Yeah," she laughed. "He usually comes around once a week asking if he could test what we were doing. We pretty much tell him that we don't have a model readily available yet. It's kind of funny. He's like a big kid." She shook her head. "A true Russian through and through, I see." She said with a chuckle as she pointed to the perogies he had piled on his plate. He blushed slightly.

"My mozer used to mek zem for me all ze time. It haz become a comforrrt food, of sorts." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh. I understand. Sometimes, when we dock on a planet with Terran food, I always see if they have _arroz com pollo_. It's pretty basic, but it's my favourite. "She looked fondly distant.

"Zo, you are Spanish, zen?" he hesitated a guess. Her name suggested something more eastern.

"Well, my mother is Spanish; my dad is Romanian, Bulgarian and Polish." Chekov had kind of guessed right. Her mother would explain her curves and her olive skin, as well as her hair. Her father would explain her high cheek bones, elfish features and large purple-violet eyes. Overall, a very exotic combination.

Chekov strategically chose a table that was out of the way of the door in a small alcove. This was so if any unwanted guests came in (Charmont), Chekov would see them before they saw him. They sat across from each other and dug in. Both seemed a little more relaxed now that they had a whole hour to eat. "Zo, have you everrr lived in Spain?"

"No, I only get to stay there for about a month in the summer with my mom. Then we come back to the U.S. and I go somewhere with my dad for the other month. My dad's funny that way. We go to the weirdest places, but they're always so much fun. Like last summer, we went to Brazil, which I guess isn't weird, but considering neither of us speaks any Portuguese, and my Spanish is limited, it was an odd choice." She ended her reminiscing with a sigh.

"Zo, your parentz are divorrrced?"

"Well, kind of. They've been separated for 9 years. They talk about how much they can't stand each other, but they won't get the divorce finalized. I think it's because it'll be like undoing their whole marriage. I mean, they only live 2 Manhattan city block's from each other. They told me it was so I could visit them both equally when I was in school. But, I'm done school there. And they still live in the same apartments. I can' wait until I turn 18, because they can stop arguing over custody. And I can come and go as I please. When I'm on Earth that is. I feel bad for my sister, Nataliza. She's only 9. She has 9 more years of custody battles to go. Sorry, I'm boring you with this. What about you?" she looked up from the dregs of her vegetable soup.

"Vell, my fazer left when I was 6. I never got to know him very vell. I have 3 younger seesters. Zey are 7, 8, and 12. My mozer had to vork a lot to pay ze billz. But, my uncle helped us out very much." He tried to finish on a light note, but failed. At _least we have something in common, _he thought. _We both come for miserable family lives._

She looked like she wanted to apologize, or hug him or something. He didn't want her to feel bad for him. She probably already thought he was a little nerd. "Hey, are you doing anyzing leter?"

"I have corridor patrol at 9 tonight. It's going to brutal. Nothing ever happens and I feel dead the next day." Her eyebrows pinched together and she frowned. Chekov thought her face was adorable when she was frustrated.

"Vould you, maybe, like some company? Zen tomorrow, you vould not be ze only zombie valking arrround?" he crossed his fingers under the table.

"Yes, actually. It would be nice to have someone to to talk to. Why don't you meet me at my room at 9?" She took a felt-tipped pen out of her pocket and wrote _7028_ on his inner wrist.

"Just so you won't forget."

**And press that button….**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's your fix for six! ----- please (especially if you alerted) leave a review! I love feed back!**

Their lunch had ended on a pleasant note as he had hoped. After they had talked about their families, they talked about each others job on the Ship. It appeared as though her father was an ex-Sergeant Major in the Terran Marines. The Terran military's job was for long-stationed jobs off-planet. Even though a Starfleet Starship could be off-Earth for up to 6 years, they could only be on one given planet for up to four months. The Terran military could be stationed anywhere for up to 3 years before a rotation. She said this had contributed to her understanding of explosives and arms. It had also contributed to her parent's separation. Chekov tried to keep the conversation off of him, following Bone's advice on asking a lot about her. He also figured he could use some of it to his advantage, as he now knew more about her than Charmont did. He also made sure not to bring up Charmont (simply out of fear he would hear something that he didn't want to).

Charmont _had_ been in the Mess hall, but he had been so engrossed with sharing his evening (which had involved 2 Orion girls and a balcony in the Orion palace) that he didn't notice Karrina and Chekov sitting in their corner. However, when Karrina got up to leave, giving Chekov a small hug and a kiss on each cheek (which he now realized was a custom of her Spanish roots; it still didn't ease the discomfort down south), Charmont looked up. He saw the entire farewell scene and shot Chekov a look purely made of sharp objects and assorted poisons.

Not entirely keen on a confrontation right in front of Karrina, Chekov ushered them both to dump off their trays quickly and navigated them through the crowd. The whole time, keeping his hand on the small of her back. He hadn't given it much thought, but it was the only way to keep her from being engulfed in the lunch mob.

When they reached the hall, she gave him a small wave and a "see you later", and made her way do to the Armory. Not proud to admit it, but Chekov watched her hips swing the whole way down the hall.

Deciding what to wear was the hardest part. Chekov didn't know if he should go casual, as he was technically off-duty. Or, if he should remain in his uniform. Figuring that if he wore his uniform, she might have guessed that he was a loser who owned no other clothes, he opted for casual. Dressed in dark straight-legged jeans and a knit maroon sweater (his mother had always gushed about how 'good it looked with his eyed and hair'), he was ready to leave. As he was just turning off the lights, his COM buzzed. It was only 8:40, and not wanting to seem too eager, he answered the call, figuring it would take only about 5 minutes.

"Where have you been man? I thought us and the boys were going down to the mess hall for drinks tonight? I haven't even seen you at lunch." Sulu and their two other friends always went to the mess hall for drinks once a week. They never held is against him that he was legally to young to drink.

"Oh, yez. Sorrry. I forrrgot! I em actually buzy tonight, but prrrehaps tomorrow I vill join you?" he offered an apologetic smile.

"Wait, what do you have to do that – hold on! You have a DATE, don't you?" Sulu's wide eyes had Chekov feeling a little embarrassed.

"I know that dopey look! Who?! You have to tell me, man!"

"Umm, do you know Karrina Zeklos? She eez an Ensign in ze Armory. "

"No but I can find out. Computer, bring up the file on Ensign Zeklos, Karrina." Sulu turned to the adjacent monitor. His eyes skimmed over the information, eager to get to the picture at the bottom. "Damn boy! She's hot! So is it a blind date or did you give her a picture of an Abercrombie model?" Sulu snickered.

"No. I have hed lunch vith her twice. Zo, if you have eny ozer comments, I suggest you shove zem up your ass." Chekov scowled.

"I'm just kidding. Tell me what happened tomorrow, got it?" he looked mock-stern.

"Fine. But I muzt go. Have a shot for me." He closed the COM signal and hurried out the door.

_7024, 7026, …7028._ Chekov had made his way to deck six, one of the 4 decks that were solely used for residence. He could here soft music coming from the room and knocked on the door slightly louder as to be heard over the song. "Oh sorry, come in!" was called from inside of the room. He entered and was assaulted by the sweet smell of vanilla and coconut. He had found the source of the music. The media box identified the song as the 21-century release " _Mas Que Nada" _by Sergio Mendes featuring the Black eyed peas. He had never heard of either of these musical artists, but could detect a soft Latin melody.

He hadn't realized how far he had wandered, until she came up behind him and asked "Are you a Samba fan?" He jumped and blushed.

"No, I have never herd music like zis. It iz razer… suggestive, iz it not?" he became noticeably fidgety at some of the lyrics and got slightly hot around the collar.

She giggled. "Latin music and dancing is focused around being 'suggestive'. That's why they say Latin people are very passionate. But, I normally prefer something like an old Lady GAGA song. This is just my dance playlist."

"Dance playlist?"

"Yeah, my mom raised me on dance. If I wasn't at school, I was usually at the studio. She used to be the Spanish ballet's prima ballerina." So Chekov had been right again. He had noticed she was very graceful, and had dancer's frame, even if it was slightly curvier than the average ballerina's body. Not that he was complaining.

"Vat kind of dance do you do?" Chekov was going to learn everything about this girl. Each little fact he stored was valuable in some way.

"Ballet, a lot of hip-hop, ballroom – Latin and Traditional - are the main ones but I'm also pretty good at Acro, jazz, tap, and dancehall. I've even taken a belly dancing course or two. I'll have to show you that one sometime." The last part came out softer than the rest. Her features took on a quality Chekov had never seen on her face before. Her eyes were half-lidded and sharp and she had a mischievous smirk on her face. Her posture was slightly leaned toward him and she was tracing her finger up the crook of his elbow. If this was how she flirted, Chekov thought her seduction would induce heart-failure. His palms were slick and his "friend" in his pants was making it extremely uncomfortable to stand.

Her finger dropped away from his arm and she said "Hold on. I left the Media player on in the bed room." She went off and it took Chekov everything he was made of not to follow her in their and lock the door. She returned momentarily and they started her patrol.

It was about 12:50, only about 10 minutes to go before her shift was over. They had talked about _everything_. From something like how being the oldest sibling was insanely hard; to what you would take to a deserted planet if you could only bring five things. Chekov had surprised himself by not sticking his foot in his mouth once and keeping the conversation flowing. He had even made a few witty jokes that made her laugh, which was good. He was starting to become more perceptive of her. He noticed all the times they brushed hands and that _she_ blushed a couple times when he complimented her hair, which was not in a ponytail, but was down with her bangs brushed to the side.

He asked her another question that he had been wondering since he first met her. "How do you manage to vear zose shorrrts vith being reprrrimanded? I em surrre zat zey are not regulation." He waved a teasing finger at her.

"It comes with the perks of being the youngest and the only woman down in the Armory. The little dresses just aren't appropriate for the crawling around inside of machines I do. The pants aren't that great either. It gets really hot down there with all of the explosives going off." She shrugged.

"I see. Vell, you pull zem off rather vell." He looked at the floor. God, he had to stop doing that.

She giggled. "Thanks. That sweater you have on looks really nice on you. It makes you eyes look really hot." She diffused the intensity by giggling. He noticed that when she was uncomfortable or nervous, she would giggle. Something about her tone had suggested she hadn't meant to say that.

They reached her door, and she turned to look at him. "Thank you so much for coming. You made a really boring job a really fun one. I'll have to come with you on your shift, now."

"Yez, I suppose you vill." He gave her a half smile. One of his curls fell in his face. He was due for a hair cut soon.

"You really should push your hair back. It doesn't do your eyes any favors when you cover them like that." She reached up and ran her hair through his hair from front to back. When she was done, she let her hand linger at the back of his neck, but only for a moment. She pulled it back quickly, like she had touched a hot stove. She immediately blushed and started a string of mumbled sorry's. It was her turn now to look at the floor.

"Don't vorry about it." He gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. "I vill see you tomorrow, zen?" He had no idea where this brashness was coming from, but he was saying a silent prayer that it lasted another 2 minutes.

"Uh, yeah, sure. How about…"

"Lunch?" he suggested, loving the flustered look on her face.

"Actually…" she looked disappointed. "Gavin Charmont asked me if I would have lunch with him tomorrow." Chekov's veins became like ice water. There was no way in fucking _hell_ Charmont was going to have Karrina along with every other girl on the ship. "He said he's going to make me like, some kind of French food or something." She looked pretty nonchalant about it. _Fan-fucking-tastic. I won't even be able to see how it's going 'cause it's going to be in his 'love den'. _

"But," Karrina interrupted his musing. "You should definitely come over for dinner. I'll make you the best Spanish food you've ever had." She tweaked his nose, and he had to smile.

"Bye, Pavel." She stepped through the door.

_Charmont may be a French fling, but I have a Southern Gentleman on speed dial. Time to settle the score. _

**Reviews are AWSOME people. I'd love to hear your ideas.**


	7. Chapter 7

**And let's begin. By the way, I would really recommend that Sergio Mendes song for anyone who likes Latin music. P.S., I have a feeling that in the next chapter, I'm going to need to go from Chekov's mind to Karrina's back and forth. I'll do my best make it pretty clear who's think what, though.**

The Mess hall was pretty empty at lunch. This was most likely due to the fact that the Orion royalty was treating anyone who wanted to go to drinks at a popular Beta Zed bar (where they were currently docked and would be for the next 3 weeks, over seeing the reconstruction of the Tallirant war zone). How people could drink before lunch was a mystery to Chekov.

Because they were docked, breaks (including meals) were extended and people got 2 off days a week instead of lunch. They also were allowed to leave at 6:00 and do as they wished until 10:30, when the night shift would start. Only a few unfortunate crewmen were to stay behind on the ship.

Chekov sat with his usual group at lunch. He had only tossed a few perogies and a roll on his plate. He sat down at the table his friends always got; right by the dessert area. His friends may have been genetically older, but they acted like infants some times. None of the others were there yet, so he began to pick apart the roll. He was decidedly not hungry. He was too fixated on the fact that Karrina was in that total ass-hole's room. He knew it shouldn't bother him; after all, he was going to _her_ room on _her_ invitation for dinner (which was much more romantic than lunch). But, Chekov's mind was whirring faster than light. _He was probably feeling her up right now. He had probably pulled out all the stops too; no scented candles – someone with that much experience wouldn't be so cliché – but it would smell warm like whatever aromatic (probably ordered-in) French food he was (pretending to be) cooking. He had taken the time to clean up and put out pictures of his "family" (which were most likely printed out from Google Platinum). He would have put on some mushy-chick flick he had never seen before, but would claim it was his favourite. He would have taken a rubber from his huge stock in the bathroom and put in his picket because he was a big enough prick to think – _

WHAM! A tray was slammed down on the table and a babbling voice was piercing through Chekov's conscience. "Yo, dude, they actually have pizza today! I like, NEVER get any. I'm always too late." Ensign Jayden Cromler was 24 and what one might describe as "perpetually stoned", except that he had only ever smoked pot twice in his like (which was maybe all it took). He always spoke in an extremely unprofessional manner, and often referred to his superiors as "dude" or "bro". It wasn't a lack of respect. It was simply that he was a California boy raised in Hawaii. But, let it be known that there was NOTHING funnier than watching Commander Spock be called "dude" repeatedly when being given reports. The despising in his face was evident. He had given up attempting to correct him a long him ago.

"So, where have you been, man? I haven't seen you in like, ages." His floppy sandy-blonde hair fell in his face as he stuffed his mouth with pizza.

"Actually Jay, you saw me tow dayz ago. Ve ver eating lunch right here." He gestured to the table.

"Seriously bro? I really gotta write shit down." Jayden was always good for comic relief. He had finished on his first slice of pizza and began working on his second. This was another reason everyone thought he was a toker; he ate like a garbage compactor.

The roll was essentially carb-confetti by the time Sulu got there. He had loaded up his plate with probiotic yogurt, whole-wheat ham sandwiches and a small green salad with low-fat dressing. This also didn't help his 'I'm not gay' pleas. He only ate very healthy because his fencing training demanded peak physical condition. Chekov shook his head at Sulu's lunch and snickered.

"Maybe if you ate more like me, you wouldn't look so exhausted all the time." Sulu tsked. He and Jayden exchanged fist-pounds and "Howsitgoin'?"'s .

"Stop spewin' your-self help crap. Not every one needs to be a machine." The grizzly voice could only belong to Lt. Colin Braxton. You typical New England Patriot, he was only 5'6", but scared the majority of the people he met with the eye-patch he ported and the long pink scar that ran down the side of his face. People cam up with crazy rumors as to how he got the wounds, but a select few actually knew that he had got in a boating accident when he was 25. Now, a ripe age of 57, rather old for a Starfleet member, he just let people think what they wanted. Chekov secretly thought he _liked_ being scary. He was preparing to retire in a few years. He just wanted a little while longer to live in his prime. He was funny when you got to know him. He would even take of his eye-patch at meals and let every one look at the empty socket._ He_ thought this was hilarious. Everyone else begged to differ.

These were the four miss-fits. All branded in some way or another.

"So, Prince Charming, how was your date?" Sulu poked his friend in the arm.

"Dude, who did you tap?! Bettcha it was that smokin' nurse. She's like a cougar without the billions of dollars and the dead husbands. Righteous." Jayden started nodding his head while simultaneously mowing down on his fourth slice (where did the third go?!).

"I did not 'tap' anyone. I seemply accompanied Meez Zeklos on herrr graveyard corrridor patrrrol." Chekov looked down at his plate and strted to pull open his perogies.

"You should see this girl guys. She's 17 and damn fine! Chekov hit gold with that one."

"So,… she _did _touch your Johnson?" Jayden got that dazed look on his face that told you he wasn't getting it. He was actually really smart when it came to engineering, but that was where the intelligence bus kicked him off.

"NO! We had no sexual acts ov eny kind! I picked herrr up at herrr door. Ve vent to all ov ze dezignated check points. Ve chatted a little bit. Zen I dropped herrr off at herrr door. Zat is all." He looked up at the other three with what he hopped was a "conversation finished" expression.

No such luck.

"Geez, son, no need to fight. We just think it's about time you became a man. What's eating at you, anyway?" Braxton dug into his Sourdough bowl filled with clam chowder (figures).

"Charmont invited her to heez rrroom for lunch. He eez 'cooking' for herrr." He squished the tower of potato filling he had made with the insides of the perogies.

All of the other men looked apologetic. Jayden gave a low whistle.

"That's rough bro. Mad rough. He's gonna get her out of her clothes and totally just –" Braxton gave him a sharp elbow in the ribs. Sulu shot him a "shut up or I'll kill you" look.

Sulu tried to think positively. "Okay, let's just say for a second that all they did was eat lunch. YOU have to be on the ball and get the next date. I suggest you find her later and have some idea of –"

"Vell, actually – " Chekov looked slightly embarrassed. "she invited me to herrr plaze so she ken mek dinnerrr for me."

"Well, there you go. She clearly likes you more, 'cause she invited you and not Charmont". Braxton looked pleased with his dot-connecting.

"Yeah, well, she may like you now broskii, but she may have a different opinion _after _lunch, if you no what I'm saying." Jayden make a crude imitation of a blow-job by sticking his tongue in his cheek and running his finger across his face in the same direction.

This time, Sulu gave him a sharp kick under the table.

"Yez, zat iz vat I em vorried about. But, I have zommzing he doze not. A souzern gentleman."

Karrina had sent him a quick message on his PADD telling him he should come around quarter to 8. It was 7:20 now and most people were excused due to the docking schedule.

"Bonez! Bonez! Open ze doorrr!" Chekov pounded on the door of 8267.

"If someone isn't dying, then somethin' better be on fire! What the hell – "

"I need your help! Vat ver you doing anyways? Your hair looks az zough you have stuck your finger in a brrroken replicator."

"Shut up and get in here you brat."

Chekov did as he was told.

"For your information, I was sleeping. I missed my break today AGAIN because that damn French bastard actually BOOKED an extra long lunch with Kirk's approval. I couldn't do anything about it. I mean, who the hell needs a two hour lunch AND a half-hour break?!" McCoy's eyebrows were knit together in a scowl.

"Vell, I actually ken tell you why he took zo long…" Chekov began to tell McCoy all of the detail of the previous night.

"So, I'm to understand that he got 2 and a half hours of free time so he could have a quick FUCK? AND WITH THE GIRL YOU LIKE?! AND KIRK WAS OKAY THIS?! WHAT UTTER BULLSHIT!" he pressed his index fingers to his temples. "We have serious work to do. Have a seat."

He pulled out a large, wheeled white-board. On one side, there was a picture of the human anatomy that could be change to any other humanoid species by switching the plastic sheet. The other side was blank with a writing surface. McCoy had it on the blank side.

"So, what were the positives of the walk?" he looked expectantly at Chekov.

"Uh… She laughed at my jokez?"

"Yes, excellent." He scribbled '_enjoyed humor' _on the board with blue marker. He turned to look at Chekov again.

"She… didn't zeem to strrrugle vith ze conversation. She zeemed sad zat she was having lunch vith Charmont. She…made a comment zat I supposed could be described az suggestive." He described the scene pertaining to the Samba song.

McCoy clapped his hands. "This, my friend, is excellent! This is proof you have a leg up over Charmont! We just need to harness that to make you a young stunner."

"How vill ve do zat?"

"Simple. You just pull out the suave and sophisticated and give it a bit of a polish. Do that, and she'll be whistlin' what ever tune you can think of. Chekov wasn't getting it.

McCoy began pacing the room. "Okay, you said she liked your humor right? Just play that up a _little._ You don't want a rep for being 'funny'. Also, compliment something, like we discussed before, and keep it sincere. Have a couple things ready to talk about, but NEVER talk about more than three things you talked about last time. She'll start to see the repetition and think there isn't anything else you have in common. For example, ask her more about her dance and music she likes, rather than her family. This is your first 'real' date, so still keep things light. And whatever you do, DON'T TALK ABOUT CHARMONT. Some girls like when boys fight over them, but this one sounds too down-to-earth for that. You don't want to say something that sounds jealous. Charmont is an idiot, so he might have mentioned you at lunch. His mistake will be your good fortune. She'll see how mature you are. Oh, and wear something different than last time. Got it?"

He stopped and turned to a confounded Chekov.

" Oh boy. Just go. Your going to be late."

With out another word, he got up, still wondering what the hell had just happened.

**Hey guys, updates will be coming a little slower for the next few weeks, as I am totally booked solid. I'll try to have the next one up this weekend though. Reviews make me smile! :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8…Enjoy!**

_Chekov's POV_

This time, dressed in a dark-blue long sleeve and pale-blue jeans, he knocked on the door of 7028. He could here more Latin music being played, but it didn't sound like a Samba this time. The tempo was too slow.

Karrina came to the door in an asymmetrical silk top with a purple and crème Asian-style pattern on it. She had paired it with a cute little flowy skirt. Chekov was sure that if she were to bend over far enough, he would be able to see more than he was capable of handling. Her outfit accentuated her beautiful curves, but not to the extent that she looked cheap and easy (a mistake most girls often made). Her hair was straight today. It gave a shine to the rich colour of her hair. She smiled and that just about made her look scores above Chekov.

"Hey," she gave him a quick hug and a kiss on each cheek. "Wanna come in? I'm just finishing up." She grabbed the tips of his fingers and led him in. She closed the door. Then, she lithely folded herself cross-legged to the floor and motioned with her head for her to come and join him. The low table was set with aromatic foods and interesting looking foods. The media player identified the song playing as _Dance Like This _by Wyclef Jean and Claudette Ortiz. If the other song had been slightly suggestive, this osng was practically begging someone to rip its clothes off.

"_I never really knew that you could dance like this  
She makes her man wanna speak Spanish. Como se llama, Bonita? Mi casa, Su casa?"_

"Wow, ver do I start?" he was baffled by what to try first.

"Try anything you want. Just save room for dessert." She gave him a coy smirk. He could tell this was going to be an interesting evening.

***

_Karrina's POV_

Dinner had gone off with out a hitch. He seemed to enjoy the food. She didn't understand why it was so hard to make this time. _Arroz con Pollo_ and Mushroom _Paella_ were dishes she could cook with her eyes closed, but she had been so jittery and worried about getting everything perfect. It had taken the fun out of the cooking. She was still very pleased wit the turn out. She thought the _Tarta de Santiago _was possibly the best version of the dessert dish she had ever made. He had even asked for another slice of the almond cake. Her mother had always told her that when a man asked for seconds of the food you made, you had him hooked.

This was exactly what she wanted. She couldn'tget over how insanely gorgeous he was. She had liked the maroon sweater, but this blue top made him look delicious. It brought out the light grey in his teal eyes and made the look even more interesting. Karrina was a sucker for guys with nice eyes. She was having a hard time not jumping into his lap and taking that shirt _off_. His smile and his curls made him look so cute, but the eyes made him look older.

She didn't know why people thought he was scrawny. Through this shirt, and even his uniform, she could see definition in his pecks and stomach. His arms were also far from wimpy. It was her personal challenge not to drool all through dinner while at the same time, trying not to stare at his chest. Not as easy as one might think. She guessed his age was a factor in everyone's belittlement of him. She totally understood. The girls she hung around with were all older than her by a few years, but treated her like a little girl with her first crush when ever she talked about guys.

"So, vat vould you like to do now, Meez Karrina?" he smiled at her from across the table. _I've got a couple of things we could do_, she thought_ 95% of them clothing optional._ She had never been so aggressively attracted to anyone before. She had _never_ envisioned doing more than kissing with any guy, but this one was pushing her limits. She knew it was the first real date though, so with appearing like a slut, she could only do so much.

"Um, well, it's only like 9:00. How about we watch a movie?" she enjoyed the thought of them cuddling on the couch.

They both walked over to the couch. It was a small couch, but they both managed to sit without touching the other. Karrina picked up the remote and flicked through the available titles popping up on the media display. She stopped on the 2009 Terran film _The Hangover._ Her best friend, Tia, had always reminded her that guys didn't like mushy movies. They liked bromantic comedies, slashers and action flicks. That was it.

That was also why Karrina didn't believe that Gavin Charmont's favourite movie was _How to Lose a Guy in 10 days _(as he had told her at lunch). She didn't want to think about lunch. It had surpassed slightly uncomfortable 5 minutes after she walked in the door. He was a nice guy, but he moved to fast for her liking.

"This one look good?" she asked.

"Yez. Zis iz actually one ov my favorites." He smiled. She was really happy she had guessed right. She started the movie and turned the lights down to 40%.

They both sat under the dimmed lights, still not touching. This wasn't okay with Karrina. She thought maybe he had the impression that she was only doing this to make it up to him for lunch, not because she actually wanted too. She wanted to squash all of those ideas.

"You know," she turned to him "nothing happened with Gavin and I at lunch." She thought it best if she was upfront. Her mother was very wise and had told her that it was always good to be plain and clear with men. They were no good at games.

"Oh." His eyes grew slightly, then went back to normal. "I had forgot zat you vere having lunch vith him." His voice gave him away.

She disregarded this. With her elbow propped up on the top of the couch and her hand propping up her head. "I just didn't want to be rude. Sorry if I kind of scared you off." She gave an apologetic smile. Being slightly bold, she moved toward him on the couch. He looked slightly overwhelmed by the close proximity. _God,_ she thought, _he is adorable!_

_Chekov's POV_

He was glad that it was dark, so she could see the tent he was pitching. Why did the littlest things do that to him? Figuring that her movement was an invitation, he gently placed his arm around her shoulder. She tucked herself into his side. The movie was already 20 minutes in. The hand that was cupped around her shoulder moved to stroke her hair. He had done it as a way to take his mind off of the fact that her beasts were resting against his side and when she would laugh, her whole body vibrated.

It was about half way through the movie when he realized she was looking up at him, almost expectantly.

"Sorrry, eez zer zommzing wrong?" he thought maybe she didn't like the hair stroking.

She sighed. " I was just wondering when you were going to kiss me." Her bottom lip jutted out in a mock pout. The expression was heart breaking.

His cheeks immediately flushed. "Oh, vell –" his stuttering was cut off by her lips being pressed against his. She grabbed on to his shoulder and swung herself up so that she had one knee on either side of his lap and she was kneeling over his sitting position. He tried to wipe the looked of surprise off of his face to no such avail. She leaned over and whispered in his ear "_yo le deseo tanto_". She pulled her self back up to look down at him. She wasn't there for very long. He pulled her back to his mouth and wound his arms around her shoulders, with his hand resting on the back of her head gently, and around her waist. From what little Spanish he knew, he could translate the sentence to "I want you very much".

He then whispered in her ear, "я также хочу Вас. I want you as well." He admitted he sounded a little like a Casanova, but she didn't laugh, which was good. They stayed entwined for a while.

***

A light went on in the kitchen and it caught Chekov's eye. Karrina must have noticed his distraction. "Oh sorry, it's on a timer. It goes on at 11:00."

"It eez very late zen. Perhaps I should go." He didn't want to push his luck for the night.

She had her pouting look on again. "Okay," she said in a babyish voice.

He laughed and pressed a teasing kiss to her neck. She rolled off of him and they both stood. She walked him to the door. "Will I see you tomorrow, then?" she looked hopeful, and that made Chekov smile.

"Surrre. How about lunch? I hev an off day tomorrow, so I vill pick you up from ze Armory."

"Sounds good." She got up on her tip-toes and gave him a kiss. He stepped out in the hall and said good bye. The doors whooshed closed. He turned to walk the other way down the hall, and was knocked to the ground by walking into someone who was leaning against the wall.

"So, White Russian, it seems you and I have to have _another _little chat, don't we?"

**Don't hate me too much for the cliffy! I do it out of love (sorta). As I said, Reviews make me smile, and a smiling writer is a happy writer. And a happy writer is a productive writer, and a productive writer writes good stories. It's all in the interest for the piece of literature. You understand ;) **


	9. Chapter 9

**Ohmygods! Loved the feed back from the previous chapter! I love alerts and reviews! Keep'em coming folks!**

_No. Fucking. Way. What God did I anger to deserve this damnation?! _Chekov's mind was frantically trying to figure a way out of this situation. His pride was trying to think of things he could say that would give Charmont the necessary "Fuck off" message. His Starfleet training had him mapping out all of the escape routes from his spot on the floor. Eventually, his pride won over.

He stood up with as much poise as possible. Charmont was smirking. This was not good. Movie logic dictated that whenever your nemesis was smiling, you were in for some sort of severe ass-whooping.

"I'm only going to ask once, what were you doing in there?" Charmont had risen from his leaning position on the wall so he could properly tower over Chekov. He had spoken in a low voice. Chekov suspected this was to avoid coaxing Karrina out in the hall due to the ruckus and seeing Charmont in anything but a good light.

"Oh, and before you say anything, you might want to wipe the pink lip gloss off of your face." Chekov slapped his hand to his lips and tried to see what he was talking about. _Shit. _He backtracked over all of the lies he had been planning on sharing. The evidence was on his cheeks.

"Eez eet really any of yourrr concerrrn?" Chekov tried to intimidate the considerably larger gentleman. He narrowed his eyes, balled up his fists and straightened his spine. He wasn't going down without a fight.

"Well, funny you should ask," he started in a joking tone "because I thought I made myself understood when I spoke with you in the Mess hall. Clearly babies have a hard time listening to their elders." He finished with a menacing snarl.

Chekov had had it with being treated like an infant. This douchebag was _not_ his elder! "Ve are only two and a half yearrrs a part! Stop talking to me az zough I owe you rrrespect! You are not even my supirrior!" He was a little winded and hoped his outburst hadn't cost him too much.

Charmont shook his head. "I'm going to disregard that comment, seeing as it's past your bedtime and you're probably just cranky. But this is that last time I'm going to talk to you about this. You lay off the Lat-linda and I won't have to lay a beating on you. I don't encourage violence towards the youth."

Chekov was trying to keep his cool. "You cannot touch me. Zat eez grounds forrr dismissal." He stuck his chin in the air.

"Oh, sweetheart, that's where your wrong. I'm Kirk's little prodigy. I could blow up a section of the ship before he would dismiss me. For kicking your ass, I'll most likely get a little slap on the wrist. Nothing I can't handle. In fact, Kirk will probably tell you that you should have known better than to fuck with me."

Chekov clenched his jaw and looked at the floor. He was absolutely fuming. Despite what regulation cited, Kirk would find some loop hole to forgive the abuse. It wasn't that Kirk was a bad person. He just liked to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. That was why he had agreed to take Charmont on in the first place.

"Run along, tyke. I'd better not see you drooling over her again." Charmont turned to leave. There was a question that Chekov had been wondering from the first time he and Charmont had had an altercation over this girl.

"Vhy do you vant herrr? You could hev any girrrl on zis ship, but vhy do you insist on chasing one zat is not only younger zan you, but eez the only one I like?" the frustration boiled over. He hadn't meant to make the question so self-personal, but he couldn't handle that the one girl he liked, he couldn't have.

Charmont laughed. It was very demeaning. "Wow, you're supposed to be a super genius. I don't like competition. So I don't compete. I eliminate. Right from the roots. See ya later White Russian." and with that, he strode down the hall.

_What bullshit! How the hell am I supposed to go about my business and not get a bruising? _It was only 11:30. Chekov knew this because the night-lighting had just come on in the halls. _It's not too late to bother McCoy, is it?_ Only one way to find out…

***

_Rap, Rap, Rap…_ Chekov knocked three times hard and fast on the door. He waited for a good solid 2 minutes when he received no reply. He didn't want to be too loud, so as to not wake the possibly sleeping neighbors. He knocked again, this time with a flat hand. Still, nothing. He really hadn't wanted to resort to the third option, but he had no choice. He rang the bell. All of the crew members _hated_ the visitor bell. It was a loud, obnoxious shrill noise that only required one touch of the button to go on forever. It wouldn't stop until the door was open, or until it was turned off on the panel inside.

It did its job. An understandably surly McCoy opened the door with sleep-crusties still in his eyes. His hair was more than slightly askew and he was wearing a fuzzy blue robe. Chekov resisted the urge to laugh. He failed. A small snicker escaped his lips and that set McCoy off.

"YOU HAVE SOME BLOODY NERVE TO COME HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAMN NIGHT AND THEN START FUCKING LAUHGING AT ME! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK – " Chekov slapped a hand over the older man's mouth and pushed him back inside before he could wake _more_ of the crew up.

McCoy looked down at the blonde boy. "You have exactly 15 seconds from when I stop talking to explain the rude awakening I have so kindly received from you this almost-morning." He rose his arm as if he were looking at a watch.

"Vell, you see, ve had dinnerrr, and she asked me about ze movie, and we were speaking foreign languages and zen ze French bastard – " he was rambling useless nonsense trying to get it all out before McCoy _kicked_ him out. His speech puttered off and McCoy ran his hands through his hair exasperatedly.

"Sit down you fuck-up. Tell me what happened again, but this time; make it sound like you're _not_ on an acid trip." Chekov sat and recounted his evening while McCoy made them both tea.

When McCoy handed Chekov his mug, he made a face. "What's wrong with earl grey? They don't have that in Russialand?"

"No, eet eez juzt zat I took you as morrre of a coffee kind of guy." He shrugged.

"Let me tell you this; enjoy being young. The systems stop working like they should after 27." He took a sip of tea. "But back to your problem. I could report him, if you want. That threat was in violation of his probation. He would be out of here in ten nanoseconds if the Chancellor got wing of it. Then again, Kirk would probably take offense if we went above his authority. That is, if he ever exercised it in the appropriate places." McCoy shook his head.

"No, I need to deal vith zis myself. Running to the keptian would make me seem like a cowardly child. It's rrreally no use. He has von." Chekov looked down into his tea, half wishing it were deep enough to drown in or hot enough to create sustainable burns.

"Aw, don't beat yourself up kid. My momma always used to tell me '_When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.'_ Chekov looked confused.

"But, surr, I hev no rope."

"No, it just means that when things get hard, you have to keep going. You've already made a lot of progress with that girl. Didn't you say she was practically sitting on your lap?" McCoy winked suggestively.

"Morrre like kneeling on top ov me. But I did not see her lunch vith Charmont. I can only tek herrr words zat nozing happened." He looked forlorn.

"Look, when Charmont clocks in tomorrow, I'll tell him he has to work the first lunch and there's no excuses. That way you both can enjoy your lunch without interruptions. Okay?" Chekov looked like an excited toddler again. McCoy couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh zank you surr!" he was about to give him a hug, when he stopped and remembered the rule.

"You're learning boy!" McCoy clapped him on the back.

"Now, I know _you _get a day off tomorrow, but some of us aren't so blessed." McCoy ushered him out the door.

Chekov ran off home so as not to encounter any _more_ huge-ass French dudes who wanted to throw him off a cliff.

**Reviews are WONDERFUL!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Love the feedback I'm getting! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've had a busy week. Hopefully this makes up for it.**

After another night of restless sleep, Chekov got up and made himself a cup of coffee. He rarely got to do this during the week as his bridge shift started at 7:00 am sharp and Spock often enforced this rule. Chekov usually woke up at about quarter to 7:00, so off-days were very much a treat for him. He also poured himself a bowl of fruitloops. Many people grimaced at the 20th-century cereal as they were pretty sure the recipe hadn't changed since then. It was still his favourite.

He flicked through the channels. Since they were docked on a civilized planet, they got reception for television. Mostly it was just game shows and children's programs. He picked up one of his favourite books, _Angels and Demons _by Dan Brown. He insisted on reading traditional books instead of the digital ones available on the media databases. The pages of the book were torn and thumbed and the cover was two bends away from falling off, but it all proved that the book was one of Chekov's favorites.

After reading for about and hour, he figured he should probably get out of his pajamas and shower as it was almost 11:00. Karrina had sent him a message on his PADD that her supervisor, the gentleman named Frankie, had allowed her to have an extra 30 minutes for lunch. He sent a quick message in his mind to whatever omnipotent being that was in charge to reward Frankie 10 times over.

He showered quickly and shaved. Many people were surprised that Chekov needed to shave, but he had facial hair like most men. Sulu told him that if he let just a light patch of stubble grow, it might make him look older. Chekov just thought it made him look homeless.

He dressed in an old NYU sweatshirt and jeans and left. He decided to leave early so he could drop off some new coordinates to a new planet the navigation team had been working on to the science team for verification. He also thought he could visit McCoy for a last minute pep talk. There were only a few people in the lab so he just gave the files to the supervisor on duty and left.

Sick bay was on the way to the Armory, so it wouldn't impede his punctuality. McCoy was again, nowhere to be found on the floor. Nurse Gabond was though. Chekov had wondered why she never went for her M.O. status tests. She probably knew more when it came to medical than McCoy.

"Excuze me meez, have you seen Doctorrr McCoy?"

She smiled at him and waved her hand "Yes, he's just down in the docking bay. A whole shuttle full of crewmen came in from Batazed with some kind of strange rash. From the sound of it, I'm pretty sure it's a local form of an STD," she shook her head "just a precaution, were keeping it quarantined until the doctor has a full analysis. He'll be back within the next ten minutes. You can wait in his office if you like." She gestured to McCoy's office door.

"Yes, I zink I vill. Zank you." He strode over to the door when he heard noises coming from behind a privacy curtain. The noises quickly clarified into voices. One voice belonged to none other than Charmont. Chekov knew that if Charmont caught him here, he was up the fucking creek without a paddle. Opening McCoy's door would have been an instant tip off he was there. Instead, he crept behind the privacy curtain on the other side and listened at the crack in the thick, waterproof cloth.

"Yo, I totally caught that little fucktard creeping out of one of my girl's room last night. I was this close to laying a beating on him." Chekov detested how he referred to Karrina as his property. It really pissed him off.

"Dude you're a Saint, 'cause I totally would have." Chekov recognized the other voice as Ensign Riclant. He was one of the few people the crew kept solely for landing parties. It was simply put that they were there for brawn, not brains. Chekov wasn't even sure that Riclant had an entirely functioning brain either.

"Yeah, well I'm just gonna hang out with the girl infront of him, feel her up a bit and he'll get the message one way or another. In fact, I think I'll ask her to that party that Eddie's having at that club on planet on Friday. They have private suites in the back, if you know what I'm saying." They both kind of hooted and grunted and gave each other a barbaric fist pound.

Chekov saw Charmont pick up his PADD and start tapping away at the screen. He couldn't see what he was writing.

"Dude, why don't you just ask her in person after your off-duty?" asked Riclant.

"To be honest, I kind of have plans during all of my free time until Friday." He gave a suggestive wink.

"Wow, who do you have later, doctor?" Riclant raised the pitch in his voice so it sounded girly and made kissing noises at Charmont.

"That gorgeous girl from the Lab. I'm not gonna lie, I love flexible girls." They did the hooting thing again.

It took Chekov a minute to process what he had just heard. He knew that Charmont wanted to kill him, that was a given. He also knew that Charmont had sent her a message inviting her to a party. If he could just erase the message before she could read it … no, that was sinking to Charmont's level, a bar he was definetly above. When the two buffoons started to talk about the astro-ball scores, Chekov thought it best to take off.

He made his way down to the Armory. The door to the room was covered in black ash and radiated heat. It wasn't enough to make him take off the sweater, though. It had a door with a handle that needed to be turned like a Captain's wheel. With a loud click, the door swung open.

It was darker than the rest of the ship inside. There were no fluorescents, like in the rest of the ship. There were these large red lights that casted a crimson glow over the large, spacious room; bigger than four living quarters put together. Room_s _he corrected in his mind. They were segmented off with what looked like bullet proof glass paneled walls. Some of the rooms were lit with brighter lights, still not fluorescents however. He could see people in the rooms doing various things, aiming at targets, writing on PADDs, tinkering at some object with scary looking tools and huge magnifying glasses. In the main room, there was an enormous island work table and many other work benches that lined the room. An occasional spark or loud crack would come from somewhere in the huge space, but everyone just ignored the chaos.

It could have been a set for a horror film, except for the fact that it was bustling with people and the warmth couldn't make you feel anything but comfortable.

Not sure if he wanted to bother anyone with what he assumed were explosives. He turned to a man sitting on a stool, reading something off a PADD. He tapped him on the shoulder and the man looked up.

"I em looking forrr Ensign Zeklos." He had to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the commotion in the room. The man gestured for Chekov to follow him. He led him to the back of the room where the glass displayed something like a shooting range. It was also the only sectioned off area that had a door. The crewman pointed to Karrina through the glass and said "She's just finishing up, but you'll have to stay out here for safety precautions. She'll come out at the end of the testing." The man walked back to his stool at the front of the room.

He turned to look through the glass and saw Karrina with three other crewmembers behind a bar pointing out at a target in a miniature dark tunnel. She looked lethal with the weapon. Chekov couldn't tell if he was more intimidated or turned on. One look down told him it was the later.

A red light at the back of the closed off space began flashing. Everyone in the room discharged their weapons and set them in glass cabinets under the red light.

She came out and Chekov stood awkwardly in the same spot. She turned in his direction and gave him a big smile.

"Aww, you're early!" she giggled a skipped up to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Chekov blushed. She unwound her arms from his waist but still held his hand.

"Nice to see you too, meez Karrina." He chuckled.

"Sorry, I just have to fill out a test evaluation, then I can go. Would you go grab my bag and my PADD for me? It's over on my station." She let go of his had and took a utility PADD off of the wall and sat at a table with the other three crewmen.

He walked over to the work bench she had indicated. It was much tidier than the surrounding stations; a tip-off it belonged to woman. It was adorned with pictures, Chekov assumed, of friends and relatives and memories. One it particular jumped out at him. It was of a little girl he could identify as Karrina at about age 11 or 12. She was with another little girl who couldn't be older than three. She looked like Karrina, except her hair was lighter, as was her complexion, and she had dark brown eyes. He drew the conclusion that this must be her sister, Nataliza.

Realizing that he was lingering, he scooped up the small hand bag and…he noticed the PADD's screen was blinking. He took it off sleep mode and saw the message alert from Charmont. On an act of impulse he opened it but didn't read it. It was just so that Charmont knew his message had been received and he wouldn't come personally looking for Karrina. He then hit the delete button in the same motion. After putting the PADD on sleep mode, he walked back over to where Karrina was sitting.

_Karrina's POV_

Her morning had felt like it wouldn't end. Her mother would tell her that feeling would always come when you were being impatient. The new Utiliton blaster they had been testing was full of nothing but bugs and glitches. _And whenever there are bugs and glitches, they turn to the "Wiz-kid" for the answers _thought Karrina disdainfully. She had taken extra time to do her hair this morning, brushing it and even taking the curling iron to a few of her unruly tresses. She normally didn't wear a lot of make-up or any at all. But today, she had applied a light coat of mascara and a touch of bronzer to her already-tan cheeks. She was phenomenally thrilled with how well the pervious evening had gone, and wanted _many_ repeat occasions.

She couldn't believe how adorable he was dressed in something simple like an old sweat shirt. When she had hugged him, she smelled that warm, delicious smell he seemed to carry every where. He had blushed when she had kissed him, which only made her want to kiss him again. He was still to timid though, and she would have to bring that away from him.

While she was filling out her evaluation, she noticed him looking at her pictures. She saw him chuckle at the one of her and Nat and she was glad. She had been kind of a nerd as a kid.

He walked back over and sat quietly on the stool next to her. He looked down at the PADD and raised his eyebrows at a few of the questions ("How many liters of blood were lost?" "On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of your surroundings were destroyed?"). What the other crewmen at the table couldn't see was that Chekov had let his hand slip to her lower back and was tracing small patterns on the exposed skin between the hem of her shirt and the waistband of her shorts. It was rather distracting.

"So I've finished here. Wanna go now?" she asked.

"Definitely, I em starrrving." He grabbed her hand and helped her up. The two left with a small wave to Frankie. The man definitely had a Santa-Clause air to him (minus the beard and the huge gut).

Out in the hall, Karrina was slightly shivering and she guessed that Chekov noticed. "Are you ok meez?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine, I just usually get the chills after coming out of the Armory. Its way colder out here then in there." She hated seeming like a helpless little girl. Her dad had always taught her to depend on no one but her self when she grew up. He told her that she couldn't always count on a man to help her. But, she was still a girly-girl at heart and it was nice to be looked after.

"Here, you ken vear zis." He had taken off his sweater and was handing it to her.

"No! You'll be freezing – " he placed one finger gently over her lips.

"I'm uzed to ze cold. I lived in Russia, remeberrr?" he snickered, still brandishing the sweater. She looked and it and sighed in defeat. She gave a small smile, just for his benefit.

She pulled the sweater over her head. It was slightly big on her, but she liked that. It had his warm smell that she was happy to now be wearing.

"Zo, vhere are ve going for lunch?" his questions sounded cute with his accent.

"Well, if you don't mind, I wanted to go on planet. I had something planned." _Oh yes,_ she thought, _do I have something planned._

**Reviews are marvy! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you so much to talk-ape, PetiteDiable, raindropsx and all of the others who reviewed and alerted! It just makes me want to… WRITE MORE! : P**

_Karrina's POV_

Karrina and Chekov entered the loading dock and stepped up to the first available transport shuttle. While they where strapping them selves in, they noticed 3 crewmen stepping out of a shuttle with their belts undone and their head hanging in shame. Doctor McCoy was laughing and shaking his head as he was ushering the men through the door. Chekov chuckled and Karrina neck snapped to face him. Her eyebrow rose. "What's so funny?"

He shook his head. "Nozing. Some men juzt don't know when to say 'no'."

"Do I want to know?" Karrina cautioned, not sure if it was something Chekov wasn't sharing for a reason.

"No, you definetly don't vant to know." He grabbed the thruster clutch and eased out of the dock.

***

They arrived on BetaZed in only minutes. The visitor's dock was fairly empty, so Chekov was slightly relieved at the fact that they had less a chance of unwanted guests.

Chekov stepped out onto the solid ground and helped Karrina out of her seat. She was still wearing his sweater and she knew he liked that. What _she_ liked was his thin, white cotton t-shirt that he was dressed in. It showed off his obvious muscle better than anything she had seen him in yet.

Not able to help her self, she wound her hand around his and leaned against him slightly, just enough for him to feel.

Walking down the main street, they came across the gate that led to the war zone. Only a few Starfleet officers were seen walking in and out of the gate. The people of BetaZed had built the gate so as to save the majority of the capital city, keeping the fighting on the outskirts.

"Oh, right here!" Karrina pointed to a small restaurant in an alley. The door didn't look like it was meant for just anyone to walk through. Karrina knew this was all part of the test the owners liked to give their potential customers.

Karrina looked up at Chekov. His lips were drawn in a confused frown. She couldn't help but smile at his expression. "Um, I do not zink zat zis iz the place you are thinking of. Perhaps it eez further down ze road?" he gave her a questioning look.

"Nope, this is the place." She gave him a look of confidence. It was fun to toy with him. Still holding his hand, she led him down the small alley way. When they reached the bolted steel door, Karrina gave five hard raps on the door. It took a second before the door swung open to a dark hallway. Chekov started to protest, but Karrina place one finger over his lips, just like he had done to her in the hall. A coy look spread across Karrina's face before she could stop it. "Don't you trust me?" she asked. He didn't speak but looked at her for a second then nodded his head. "Good, then let's go."

_Chekov's POV_

Chekov had no idea of what to make of the place. The small hallway was lined with dark-hardwood floor planks. The walls were a simple dark mocha and there was a tiny window at the end of the hall letting in a small light. There were no doors except for one right underneath the window. Karrina boldly opened the door to reveal another small dark room with a tiny fish tank, a modern couch and a podium with a small, dark women standing behind it.

"Hey, is Marcie around?" Karrina inquired of who Chekov assumed to be the host. The girl gave a curt nod and went off behind a small curtained-room beside the fish tank. A moment later, a medium-built pale brunette with a shoulder-length curtain of hair stepped out. She stepped up quickly and gave Karrina a quick hug. The girls then both turned to Chekov. "Pavel, this is one of my very good friends, Marcie. She works here during the summers."

"Sorry about the secrecy. The boss does it so only the 'brave of heart' will get to taste the incredible food we have." She did air quotes around her boss's words. She had a high pitched voice that kind of made her sound like a cheerleader or valley girl. "You can follow me this way."Marcie gestured to the curtain beside the fish tank.

Behind the curtain was another hallway lined with about 15 doors, all different. Marcie led them to one of the doors made of elegant cherry wood with inlaid blue stones. She looked at Karrina "Only 'cause your one of my favorites, girlie. Your server will be along in a moment" Said Marcie, who unlocked the door and walked down to the other end of the hall and disappeared behind a door that said "Kitchen".

Chekov pushed the door open and stepped into the room. To say it was romantic would not be enough. It was dimly lit with low light orbs (something the planet was famous for). There was no proper chair and table set up, but lots of pillows, blankets and body cushions lined the floor. A low, round table was in the center of the room.

Karrina pulled him to the floor with her and they fell together. Chekov landed on all fours over top of her. He felt him self blush, which was intensified by her grabbing his shoulders and slightly pulling him down when he tried to get off. He felt his pants getting tighter and cursed puberty. Its fruits came out at the worst time. She pulled him down even more so that he was lying on her, although, supporting his own weight.

"Why are you so jumpy? Are you scared of being close to me?" she asked with a giggle.

"No Karrina, "scarrred" eez not ze right statement." Karrina gave a frown and he gave a chuckle of his own. He stroked the side of her face with his hand. "Morrre like I vant eet too much." His voice became somber.

Just then there was a knock at the door and Chekov pulled Karrina up with him, tucking her in to his side.

A young waitress stepped in and handed them both menus. Chekov was about to accept it when Karrina waved her hand at them. "Marcie knows what we want." The girl nodded and stepped out.

This was where Chekov started to stress. He had little to no experience with girls, and this one just happened to have a lot. He decided it would be best to keep up the small talk until after lunch.

"So, vhat exactly eez ze name of zis restaurant?" he said to Karrina, who was still tucked in his side.

"Oh, it's called _Le Mystère_. Marcie got me hooked. The food here is incredible. They hide the place really well. But I didn't really bring you here for the food; I brought you here for the privacy." The orbs had grown dimmer (as they only last for 5 hours). It was still bright enough for him to see her uniform shirt cling to her in all of the right places. He could still see her wide, purple-violet eyes. He could see _and_ feel her slip her hand under his shirt so she could stroke his chest.

A quick shudder ran through him, but of course Karrina caught it. "You're so adorable," she breathed. "I would really like to _finish_ taking your shirt off, but the waitress will be back any second." He couldn't believe how forward she was being, but if she kept it up, Chekov would be panting soon. She crawled into his lap and took both of her hands to his neck. Natural instinct made him cradle her like a baby and press his lips to her throat. Her heard a low groan come from her mouth and thought it best to stop.

He laughed at her eagerness. "You rrreally shouldn't speak like zat. Not all men arrre gentlemen, like me." He pressed one last kiss to her pouting face and placed her back beside him.

They sat like that for a moment when another knock came at the door. Marcie strode in with the other waitress and placed about 6 or 7 small plates on the low table. Marcie gave a few instructions. "When you want anything or are ready to leave, just press the green button on the wall behind you. A server will come and help you out." With that, Marcie parted, closing the door behind her.

"I had called Marcie ahead of time and asked her for a bunch of sampler platters. I knew you liked the Spanish food I made and perogies, but that was about all I knew." She shrugged and gestured for him to choose a plate.

He grabbed the one closest to him and placed it between him and Karrina. "Vhat eez zis?" he asked. He didn't want to be rude, but he wanted to know what he was eating.

"To be honest, I don't know." She shrugged again.

"Vell, if I'm going down, your comink vith me." He held 2 forks in his hand.

***

The lunch was entirely composed of food that Chekov had never tasted before. It was a different sensation with every dish. He could definitely see why Karrina loved it here. They had eaten almost everything and where both full. Karrina began tracing patterns on Chekov's thigh, and that was the signal he needed to alert the waitress for the bill. It wasn't that he didn't only want to be alone with her. It was because he wanted to be alone and _naked_ with her, and that was an urge he couldn't promise to control. It was only their third date and anything other than kissing seemed to be treating her like a call girl.

He reached behind to the wall to press the button when Karrina caught his hand. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, vell, I just thought zat ve vere done and – " she cut him off.

"You know, I still have 25 minutes before I have to go back…" she traced her fingers down the side of his face. "That's plenty of time." She pressed herself against Chekov's frame, so he was leaning back on a body pillow.

Her voice became an almost-whisper. "But, the only way I can spend it is if we take this off." He closed his eyes as he felt the hem of his shirt lift up and over his head. His hands shook as her fingertips skated over his pecks…abs…the hem of his pants…

His eyes snapped open and he saw that look she had gotten the night before when she had kissed him. It was a mixture of an artist discovering an unknown Picasso and kid sacred of its first day of school. It was pleasure and insecurity all displayed on one beautiful face. That look caused the rise of the brash man that sometimes possessed him when she was around.

He caught _her _hand this time. "Why do _you _look _scared_?"He didn't understand it. She said things that made her sound like an experience temptress, but her expression was like a timid little girl. It didn't match. To show that he wasn't mad, he twined his fingers with hers. He was only curious.

Colour rose in her cheeks and she looked at the floor. He wasn't having that. He took a finger from the other hand and propped her chin up so she could look him in the eye.

"I'm not scared, I'm, just that, it's because – "she was stuttering and light tears brimmed her eyes. Chekov hadn't meant for his question to make her so emotional and he immediately felt terrible. He pulled her in so he could cradle her and rubbed her back. The light shaking that had previously rocked her body in potential sobs slowly calmed. She kept trying to pull away from him, Chekov guessed, so she wouldn't seem like a baby. He didn't think she was and was too strong for her.

"Prrretty Karrina, I didn't mean to mek you sad, I juzt vanted to know what you vere zinking." He spoke in a soothing voice, but was still looking expectantly at her.

"Sorry," she said, her voice still trembling. "When I get nervous or stressed, I cry. It's like a reflex action." She paused. "I guess I figured if I was forward, you would like that more. My older friends on the bridge told me that if I was all over a guy, he would always want me. But, I really wasn't being myself. It kind of sounded like a porn store, didn't I?" she gave a small laugh.

Chekov didn't want to burst her bubble, but since she was being honest with him, he should return the favour. "Vell, to be truthful, it _vas_ rrreally hot to hear you talk like zat. But, I'm happy you ken tell me things. And besides, you don't need to speak seductively, you juzt _arrre_." He pressed a small kiss to her lips and the colour returned to her cheeks and she put on a slightly embarrassed smile. He laughed at her cute expression. She couldn't help but laugh with him. Then they both sighed.

She looked wistfully at his exposed torso. "I wasn't kidding when I said I really wanted to take your shirt off. You have a _gorgeous_ body, you know that?" he shrugged, not wanting to seem smug, but it seeped through a little. "I better not tell anyone though. They might ask me to share and that' not something I'm willing to do." She gave him a slow deep kiss on the lips and handed him his shirt.

"Come one, we better get going. I do want to be late, but I'll save that for next time." He threw the shirt on as instructed and helped her to her feet. He pulled her in for one more kiss, dipping her as he bent over her.

"_Next time_, I pick vere ve go. Deal?" she laughed and nodded. _But, _he thought, _I'm going to have a few words with the love doctor so he can prescribe me something strong._

**That last little line there was inspired by the song "Doctor Love" by Donnie Klang. Love it. Reviews are amazeballs!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for all of the continued support! I love it! I'm not planning to write any lemon for this story (mainly due to the fact that I am crap at it). But if you want to, just send me a message and you definitely can AS LONG AS IT'S WRITTEN WITH TASTE AND WRITTEN WELL! Other than that, let's get this show on the road…**

They exited the restaurant and took to the streets of BetaZed's capital. It was about a 10 minute walk to the shuttle, so Chekov spent it walking hand in hand with Karrina. She was smiling, except when she took her PADD out of her bag.

"Vhat's wrrrong?" Chekov asked. A quiet thought stirred at the back of his mind, but he shooed it out the back door.

She looked up at him. "Oh, nothing, it's just that Gavin sent me a message. But it doesn't make sense." She scrunched up her nose in thought. _Shit,_ Chekov thought. That little idea he had eschewed was now banging on the door. He couldn't help but ask.

"Vell…vhat does it say?" he asked cautiously.

"It says '_Hey Karr, why didn't you message me back? I gotta know if you're coming so I can tell Eddie. Let me know? – Gav.' _ He never messaged me…Hmm…you didn't notice anything hen you the PADD off my station this morning?"

_Fuck, fuck, fuck to the power of fuck._ The thought that had been banging had now undone the bolts in the door hinges and was wreaking mass destruction in his mind. He thought the best thing to do was not to change the subject. He was a genius after all.

"No, I didn't. But zat is kind of veird." He hated himself for the next part. "Maybe you should message him…and…ask him what he was talking about?" he had a very hard time stomaching that.

Karrina looked up at Chekov. "No, if he wants to talk to me, he can find me himself." She snickered and stuffed the PADD back in her bag. A long breath escaped Chekov's lips, but Karrina didn't catch it. They reached the shuttle dock and nothing more was said about Gavin Charmont.

***

They were at the door to the Armory, and Karrina was about to go inside. They had already spent 5 minutes saying goodbye, having a very _thorough_ parting in the small door alcove. Her hand was on the big wheel when he twirled her back in for one more kiss. He put his arms around her waist and pressed her to him. She giggled and met his lips. When ever Chekov did things like this, he found that he shouldn't think about it. If he did, he would either chicken-out at the last second, or mess up what ever he was doing. The "wiz-kid" part of his mind wanted to calculate, compute and asses while the teenage part of his mind wanted to kiss and touch and flirt.

"You're adorable, you know that?" She giggled again as she brushed a few unruly curls from his face.

"Adorrable? Zat eez a new one. I like eet better zan cute anyvays." He place a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Now," he instructed in a mock serious tone "Get back to vork." She laughed her bell-laugh and opened door. She blew him a kiss and the door clinked closed.

She really was special. He kind of felt weird being so smitten after only just meeting this girl, but he wasn't complaining. He thought for having no experience with women, he had done pretty damn well for himself.

He hadn't realized he had been staring at the door with doe-eyes for about 2 minutes until a confused crewman asked him to move aside so he could get through. Colour rose in his cheeks as he set off for sick bay.

Sick bay was more full than usual. About 15 of the 30 biobeds were occupied. Chekov spotted Bones talking to one of the crewmen he had seen in the docking bay. He waited for him to finish, then went up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Bones did not turn around, simply motioned for his beckoner to follow him to his office.

Once both seated in their usual spots with the door closed, Bones began to roar with laughter. He was laughing harder then Chekov had ever seen him laugh. _Are those TEARS ?!_ What so funny? "Surr, vat eez zo funny?"

"Did you...hear…about the…the guys who…came in…came in with the…" He could barely finish a sentence. The laughter rocked his body so violently that he had lapsed into the kind of laughing that is so hard and requires too much air, it comes out silent. His head was put down on his desk in an attempt to control himself. Chekov just let him have his laugh. It was a nice change to see McCoy something other than surly.

Eventually, McCoy had enough self restraint to lift his head. His cheeks were still red and stained with tears and he was letting out a long sigh to relive the last of the laughter. He began once more. "Did you hear about the guys who came in with the STD from the planet?" his voice was still shaky.

Chekov nodded, not quite sure were he was going with this. "Well, turns out it was worse than we thought." The crazy laughter threatened to erupt again.

"Surr, I do not see how an STD eez funny." Chekov quirked an eyebrow. He kind of felt like Commander Spock, but he really didn't get the joke.

"The disease they contacted can only be contracted by having sexual relations with someone of the same gender." He started to laugh again.

"I also do not see vat is funny about being gay." Chekov still wasn't getting it.

"That's the thing – they're not gay!" Chekov gave a baffled look. "From what we can gather, they stumbled upon a strip-club last night and made off with three of the lovely 'ladies' the club had. What they didn't realize is that these strippers were Krilarian." McCoy was staring at Chekov like he was supposed to laugh at the punch line of this little anecdote. When he didn't McCoy gave an exasperated sigh and continued. "Krilarians have the ability to hide their true gender temporarily as an ancient survival technique by transforming their genitals – don't ask." Then, it all clicked in his mind.

"No, zey didn't – "

"Fuck a couple of alien drag queens? If that wasn't bad enough, the STD's symptoms include these big-as-sin lumps on your ass that hurt like a mother-fucker. They have to use pool floatie-rings every time they wanna sit down! Another symptom if you're a guy, your dick shrinks! It gets so small, if you pee too fast, it can tare!" he was off again. Chekov was having a hard time not joining him.

"And, to boot, Uhura translated the name of the nudy-joint. It loosely means _Sausage Factory._" That was what set Chekov off on his own giggle fit. The two were hooting and hollering. It was astonishing how sometimes genius-level crew could make idiot-level mistakes. This would definitely be a story passed around at every major gathering these men attended for the rest of their lives.

After a few minutes of solid laughter, the two men quieted. "So, what aspect of playground love brings you to my office _this_ afternoon?" Bones asked through his steepled fingers.

Chekov ignored the jibe. "I juzt came to as you vat I should do next."

"Well, tell me how lunch went, an' if you didn't blow it, I'll give you further instructions."

Chekov launched into his lunch tale and about Karrina's confession. McCoy remained silent, occasionally nodding his head or raising an eyebrow. "…and zen she went back to work." Chekov finished on an unsure note - unsure about McCoy's insight.

"Did she kiss you goodbye?"

"Vell, yes."

McCoy gave a sly smile. "For how long? Be honest."

"Umm," Chekov's cheeks became pink as the blood rushed to them. "About fourrr minutes." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

McCoy gave him a light punch in the shoulder. "You dog! Okay, so my diagnostics can determine that this work out more in you favor than you planned. Sounds to me like she had just as much experience as you do, so we can tone down the suave a little. Plus, it sound like she likes the bumbling little kid persona, so that's something else we can use. You definitely have to step the next date up a notch. Where have you bee keeping your hands?"

Chekov looked like he had been hit over the head with a mallet. He wasn't quite sure how to answer. "Vhat do you mean?"

"I mean, do you keep them on her waist, her back, what? This is vital!"

"Mostly on herrr waist. I zought zat anyzing ozer zan zat would be a little to farrr. Ve juzt met." He felt kind of belittled by himself when he heard his own measly statement. He knew it was wrong to compare the amount of ass he got. That was what jack-asses did, but he couldn't help it. When he had last talked to one of his good friends back in Russia recently, Chekov learned that his friend lost his virginity to one of the areas hottest, young supermodel. They had been dating for two weeks. When Chekov thought about it, his friends had _always_ had more experience with girls. He was always too busy with school and work. He didn't really have a choice as his mother always told him that success was the most important thing. Everything else came later.

"Well, next time, let your hands roam a little. You don't have to go to the danger zones just yet, but touch her face, her thigh, her neck. Places that don't seem as sensual, but girls _love_ when guys notice these spots. When she gets more comfortable, you can venture into more uncharted waters, but not just yet. You said she's a dancer right? I'm thinking for your next date, you should pull the old 'my cousin's wedding' routine." Bones seemed pleased with his idea.

"But surr, my couzin eez not getting married."

"You know, I'm gonna ignore that because if wait around for you to smarten up, I'm going to be 80 when you lose your v-card. Now I suggest you write some of this down, it's going to come in handy…"

**Bit of a cliffer there. BTW, if anyone is up to the task of writing a good full-length SuluOC fic, I would adore you! I haven't been able to find one yet, but I would for sure be a fan!**

**Reviews are gorge!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, I didn't get a hell of a lot of feed back the last chapter :( I'm sorry I haven't been able to post sooner. School's been crazy! But, hopefully this will make up for it!**

It was Friday, and since they were docked (ahh, the perks of being docked) only the absolute lowest in ranks (or the crewmembers who forgot that they _still_ had to fill out time-off request forms) had to stay on duty. Everyone else was free to do as they pleased. As part of Chekov's off day ritual, he slept in, had his coffee and read his book. He took a 10 minute shower (8 minutes longer than normal) and meandered down to the mess hall for lunch. He didn't stay long; he grabbed a travel pack and ate it back in his room.

He had to execute his plan perfectly and timing was key. He had messaged Karrina saying he needed "a favor from her". He followed McCoy's instructions to a T. He left his message vague to create intrigue. He also said he would drop by her room at 5:00 so he wouldn't have to stress about cleaning up. He rehearsed what he was going to say, but left room for improvisation, just as Bones had dictated. And, he wore another dark blue shirt of a slightly different shade, just to play up his eyes.

Nerve-wracking was an understatement. He had one shot and if he blew it, he would back to the drawing board. The walk to 7028 seemed longer than normal. Maybe it had to do with the fact he had to tell a little white lie to someone who would most certainly call him out on his bullshit if he got caught. Maybe it was because he was going to be alone with her in her room, and this time, neither of them had pressing engagements they needed to attend this afternoon. Chekov couldn't put his finger on it, but something was rubbing him the wrong way, he just didn't know what it was.

***

The room still emitted that same coconut vanilla smell that aroused him in a moment. It was still in the same tidy-disarray that made the room feel like home. And, there were little hologram-picture frames scattered around the room he hadn't noticed before. She had bid him in and they were sitting at her kitchen table. She had made them both some tea and she was blowing hers to stifle the heat. She was looking at him expectantly and he decided it was now or never.

"So…My couzin's vedding eez comink up and I vas vondering if you could teach me…how to danze properrrly." He finished off timidly, just as practiced. This was where he kind of felt like an ass, he was lying to get closer to someone. He was doing some pretty uncharacteristic things lately, but war was not in anyone's nature.

"Oh my gods! I would _love _to!" her eyes sparkled and he suddenly didn't feel so bad about lying. "What style do you want to learn? Quickstep? Classic waltz? Tango? Rumba? Samba? Ooh, we should do something like a fox-trot!" her roll came to a quick halt. "I'm getting a little ahead of you, aren't I?" she looked into her mug and he couldn't help but laugh. "You know what? A Portuguese polka is perfect for a wedding. It's not technically a style, but it's good to help you learn basic steps and rhythm. When do you wanna start?"

"Umm, how about later." He crossed his fingers under the table.

Her eyebrows scrunched. "Well we're not really going to have time later, are we?"

It was his turn to look puzzled. "Why not? No one sounds like they have anything planned." That sentence didn't sound right to him. What was eating at him so bad?

The confusion on her face still hadn't disappeared. "Aren't you going to _Sugar Daddies' _later?"

"Sug – Vat are you talking about?"

"Oh, maybe no one told you… one of the combat specialists rented out a club on the Main Street Strip. Umm Eddie, I think his name is…"

_Shiiiiiiiiiiiiittt _was the only thought that came to his mind. That's what had been bothering him. He had completely forgotten that the douches of the _Enterprise_ were having that party. He had just figured when she dismissed the message the first time, Charmont wouldn't bother. _You're such a stupid fuck._

"Charmont talked to me yesterday and gave me the info. It sounds like an open invitation… Why don't you come with me!?" she beamed again. Why was he such a sucker for that smile?

"And plus, it's a dance club, so I can show you some steps there?" _Damn, she's really making it hard to say no._

"Vell, Karr, it does sound like fun but… Charmont and I , ve don't rrreally get along and…" he trailed off. Her face had dropped and she looked kind of embarrassed for even asking. Chekov knew that look – Rejection. He himself had worn that expression many a time and it felt worse than it looked.

"…and ve're going to half to leave early and you need to tell me vat to vear." He gave a half smile and she laughed and plunked down in his lap.

A few kisses and possibly a hickey later, she said "It's going to be awesome! I'm going to go get ready, but how about we leave at about 7? It doesn't start 'till about 9, so we'll have some free time."

"Okay, but vat exactly do you need to do to get rrready?" he took in her frame sitting on his lap. Her hair was down in its natural, mocha curls. She had a little bit of make-up on, but it was all she needed. The sheer tank top she wore… Chekov didn't spend too much time on that for fear of slipping his hand _underneath _that tank top. She looked good already.

She playfully slapped him on the arm and giggled. "Are you kidding? I look like a bum, but it's nice someone appreciates my I-have-no-where-to-go look." She lightly ran her hand though his hair, arranging his curls how she thought they looked best.

This was the time he felt best to take advantage of the wisdom McCoy hand bestowed upon him. He let on of his hands side down to her thigh, and gently squeezed, while the other brushed the hair off of the side of her next so he could kiss her. He left his hands where they were just to see her reaction. She didn't complain, in fact, she rapped her legs around his waist (no small feat while both participants are sitting on a chair).

This immediately aroused him, and though she hadn't said anything, he knew she could feel it. _Fuck puberty, it sucks_. One quick look down at her chest, whose tank top was sliding down to reveal the top of her bra and her generous cleavage, had him retracting his comment. She guided his hand down to her butt and he _just_ managed to stop his eyes from snapping open. McCoy hadn't covered this field and he was starting to panic. He didn't want to stop; he had too-little will power and control for that.

He picked her up, with her legs still wound around him, and carried her over to the sofa, managing not to trip or stumble. He dropped down so she was on top of him, which was possibly a bad idea as she proceeded to take off his shirt… and her shirt. He couldn't really focus on her mouth on his neck, as he was trying to take in every inch of her. Her curves were beautiful and olive-toned just like the rest of her body. Her breasts were gorgeous in their simple black-silk bra. Her stomach was taught, but still soft. Her exposure only accentuated her grace, showing how each disciplined muscle moved smoothly.

He made it a mental goal to keep his hands on her waist, but his urge to wander won out. He let them slide down to her stomach, let his finger slip under the clasp and the cup of the bra (only the finger tips), but he the need to take of the rest of her clothes was excruciating. Her grinding on top of him, with a slow winding momentum was driving him insane.

He had never felt so primal in his life. He had shared a kiss or two with the girls at home, not enough to count as anything. They certainly weren't intense enough that he ever imagined stripping the girls like he was right now. He could just picture taking Karrina's pants off slowly, teasing the inside of her thighs. He could picture removing her silk bra, taking in her full-fledged lovely curves. He could picture ripping her (hopefully) thin, lacey underwear to cup her ass, which was sweeter than sin itself with her clothes _on_, he couldn't imagine it naked. He could picture carrying her to the bathroom, and the shower water running…

Without thinking about it, he found his fingers nimbly undoing her bra clasp, while still holding it in place. He heard he gasp but she didn't stop, she started kissing him in places he never thought he would enjoy so much, like the shell of his ear, his pecks, the gently biting on the crook of his shoulder. The biting was what did it. It brought on too much ecstasy. It made his eyes snap open wide. It was like putting your hand on an ancient stove top. It took milliseconds for the message of HOT to reach your brain, but when it did, the most intense feeling ensued and you had no choice but to rip your fingers off the red hot coil.

He sat up slightly, hooking her bra back into place. He was shocked to realize he knew how to unhook one, let alone fasten it back on. He must be channeling the youth of Bones right now. He gently pushed her off and chuckled darkly and helped her put her tank top back on. The pout never left her face and she crossed her arms over her chest when he was done.

He took one hand and cupped her chin, placing a small kiss on her lips. "Pleeez, don't be mad, pretty Karrina, it's better that ve vait." He tried a small smile, hoping he wasn't pushing his luck.

Her pout faltered and she sighed. "Fine, but you owe me."

"And I newer fail to deliverrr."

**Reviews are excellent motivation! WOOHOO MOTIVATION!!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, again, thanks to those who reviewed, but a little more feedback would've been nice :). Here's 14, hope she don't let you down.**

The trek back to his room was grueling. Each step was begging to turn around. It was like having cinderblocks for feet. Just as a final ploy before he left, she had taken off her top _again_, followed by her bra. While covering most of her with her tank top, only to give him enough of a tease, she said she was going to take a "shower". She had sauntered over to the bath room and closed the door. He didn't remember everything, but the tendons in his hand were killing, and he was pretty sure he had been gripping the door frame as a restraint. He just hopped she wouldn't be mad for him leaving, but if had stuck around, not even a shower would have made him feel clean afterwards.

_Shower. Cold shower._ That sounded very good in his mind, and maybe what he needed to keep himself from sprinting back into the elevator. When he reached his quarters, he set the faucet to the coldest setting possible, and let the redness in his face trickle out.

_Karrina's POV_

She didn't understand how he could constantly turn her down. _I practically throw myself at him and he keeps pushing me back. What gives?! _It had annoyed her at first when he didn't follow her into the bathroom like she had hoped. Then, a heavy feeling overtook her entire body and she found herself sinking to the floor. The rejection often brought her back to when she was around 13. Still not yet at Starfleet, but enrolled in junior and senior classes at her high school in Manhattan. Since she was in classes with them, a lot of her friends happened to be juniors and seniors, with a few from her freshman class. Other freshman and sophomore girls were often jealous of her friendships with the older girls and how she breezed though classes with ease. They also didn't take kindly to the fact that she had been an early bloomer (now a C-cup, but a B-cup at the time), or the fact that her dancing had almost excused her from the usual awkwardness that came with puberty. Even the older boys treated her like a little sister.

Because of this, they often tried to make her life hell. She would find her locker to be written all over with permanent marker (which she would have to clean off her self). Little notes being thrown at her in the halls, which would say things like _Freak_ or _Human super computer_ and _Skanky bitch_. She would hear rumors about her 24/7, saying things like she slept with the whole senior class, or if you went on certain websites, you could find pictures of her naked and even videos of her giving guys a blowjob (this one blew over quickly as people had checked and there were no such websites). Once, she had even been locked in a closet for three hours. Her communicator was in her locker, and the only way she managed to get out was when a passing janitorial-bot detected a life form in the supply closet.

Rejection had manifested it self in her for life like a parasite. She never cried in front of anyone, not even her parents. Her dad told her criers we weak and would be the first ones out in life. She thought he just didn't want to see his baby sad. She used to lie to them and tell them everything at school was great. That's why whenever she could; she would be studying or dancing. Even her older friends had no idea what torment she was subjected to daily.

She had almost cried the other day in the restaurant when Chekov had called her bluff. It took a lot to hold it in when he wanted to leave today, but even thinking about it now caused the tears to brim and spill over. She knew he didn't mean anything; just that he didn't think now was a good time. But, she unloaded that on herself. Thinking that he didn't want her, like most people when she was a kid. She brought that down to the fact that she wasn't pretty enough, or smart enough. Or seductive enough, or funny enough. It was her and only her. And he was just another person who would reject her until she got the massage.

She hoisted herself up and set the faucet to the hottest setting possible, letting her tears mix in with the water.

When she was done, she went out into the main room where her PADD had message waiting for her.

***

_Chekov POV_

Chekov truly had felt bad that he hadn't given her what she wanted. The look on her face was a killer and it had been the hardest thing to walk away. He figured if he let her have her way (mostly) tonight, then she wouldn't hate him so much tomorrow. Dressed in what he hoped was acceptable clothes ( a simple navy button down and light jeans), he was about to go pick her up, when a flashing light from the coffee table caught his attention.

Examining further, her realized that the light was coming from his PADD. He had a message.

_Pavel –  
Gavin just asked me if he could take me to the party. Since he originally invited me, I thought it would be polite to go with him. He says he has something he wants to show me, so I might see you later. Maybe._

_Karrina_

_You. Are. Fucking. Joking._ He had done it. Driven her to that sorry excuse for an XY chromosome. He couldn't believe it. He threw the PADD onto the table and dropped into a chair.

Charmont was going to have sex. With her. In a ten credit suite. Probably against her will. And it was his fault. What a jack ass he had been. He wasn't even going to blame her. He clearly didn't have the experience to handle her and she had decided to go off to someone who she thought did. _What a fucking child I am. _He had lost. All for the sake of being a gentlemen.He sat still for a few moments. Then it came to him.

He _needed_ to go. If he didn't, then he might as well send Charmont a congratulatory e-card because he would have gotten his way with another girl.

Chekov pulled up his COMM and dialed three numbers for a video call. One by one his comrades appeared on the screen. This was going to take some serious planning.

***

The club was thriving with music blasting and lights blaring into the street. People were strewn all over the side walk laughing, screaming, and dancing. And these were the people who weren't Starfleet officers, so they couldn't get in.

Braxton, Cromler, Sulu and Chekov all showed their identification badges at the door. They were led in to what could only be described as a typical night club. Large, 7-foot speakers dominated the floor beside the DJ booth. These were accompanied by bright multicolored strobe lights that sent trippy beams of neon around the room. The rest of the club was decorated with massive glow-in-the dark pictures of burlesque dancers with gentlemen in bright suits with canes and fedora hats (why the club was named _Sugar Daddies'_).

Near the back of the dance floor, there were scattered tables and a bar. At the very back of the club, there was a door illuminated with pink vanity lights. It was labeled _Sugar Room_. Some people said that there were actual strippers back there and were only available to gentlemen with the right price. Intelligent people knew that it was just the way to get up to the suites.

That was Chekov's aim. To keep Karrina from getting anywhere near that door. He knew that she might not even want to go back there with Charmont, but he had an effect on women that would be amplified to Karrina because he was older. She wouldn't know how to refuse.

"So, remind me what I'm doing again?" Cromler scratched his head. Chekov sighed.

"Yourrr job is to go get us drinks." He said it slowly and loudly in an attempt to be heard over the music.

"Right! I even remember what they are! Bonus!" Cromler made his way to the bar. Chekov had purposely given him an easy job in an attempt to avoid any slip ups.

"Okay, I see Drixby. Be right back." Braxton made his way over to a burly man with a crew cut. Ensign Drixby was Charmont's right-hand goon. He would know where Charmont was. By this time, Cromler had come back with the drinks. A Whiskey Sour for Braxton, a gin-and-tonic for Sulu, a beer for himself and straight vodka for Chekov.

Braxton made his way back through the crowd to the other men. "He says that Charmont hasn't shown up yet, but he was coming around 10."

"So ve vait." Chekov said simply. He found a table and sat down, looking a little defeated. Braxton, being as old as he was, wasn't a fan of standing for very long, so he also had a seat. Sulu plopped down as well.

At that moment, Cromler was beckoned by someone in the crowd. "Yo, I'm just gonna go holler at Gibbons. Be back in a sec, Brah." He was swallowed by the sea of gyrating bodies.

Chekov hadn't realized he had staring at the door until Sulu tapped his shoulder. "Man, you gotta relax. Girls get mad all the time. They get over it. She's just using Charmont to make you jealous, and you're letting it. Nothing's going to happen with them; they might dance once or twice, then she'll come find you. Simple. Just be really polite and sorry and tell her what she wants to hear."

"Eez zat not being an ass?" Chekov looked confused.

"No, it's being smart and able to hold on to a girl friend." He raised his eyebrows sternly to make sure he got the point. Chekov wasn't sure. Lying was something Charmont would do. He didn't want to go back on his decision, because that's what she would want to hear.

"What are we talking about fellas?" McCoy had grabbed the seat on the opposite side of the table. He was wearing a simple crème t-shirt and a black blazer with dark jeans. He looked good, better than most people would have expected from a grumpy, frazzled, divorced guy.

"Pavel's having girl problems." Sulu sighed.

McCoy was struggling not to laugh "You don't say? Why don't I go buy you another drink and we'll chat about it." Both men rose and made their way toward the bar.

McCoy yelled something to the bartender and a fresh shot of vodka was placed in front Chekov.

McCoy leaned against the bar. "Now why don't you tell me what your little pal's failed to answer." He smirked.

He was about to defend his friends, when a huge commotion erupted from the entrance. Chekov squinted but there was no mistaking it. Charmont had arrived. And Karrina was on his arm.

_First shot's been fired. Battle is on!_

**Alright, Ladies & Gents, let's see some reviews!!!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! Sorry about the lapse in updates! SAC can be super demanding sometimes! Hopefully this should make up for it.**

Chekov was surprised to find his feet moving and arms flailing, but no ground was being covered. It took him a moment to review the laws of physics. And another to realize McCoy had a strong grip on his forearm.

"Vat are you doink?! I haf to go over zere!" Chekov stilled struggled against the noticeably stronger gentleman.

"A proper Southern Gentleman would not make a scene themselves when they can do so with out getting their hands dirty." McCoy was slightly smirking.

"Vell it eez a good zing zat I am frrrom ze north, so I can go over zere a beat the shit out of him!"

"Don't be brash, there's no need getting' railed up over somethin' that can be fixed in a second." Chekov had calmed slightly, so McCoy eased his grip and looked around. Chekov guessed he had found his target, because he had whispered a quick "stay here" a strode over to a petite brunette with a bob.

Chekov watched him whisper something in her ear and point towards the door. A scandalized look crossed her face a she was off in the indicated direction.

Then, he walked over to an Andorian from communications and did the same thing. _What the hell is he doing?_ Chekov was baffled as McCoy went to yet another girl with turquoise hilights and repeated his actions.

McCoy flashed Chekov the "wait one second" sign as he threw him self into a gaggle of women from the ship. He was making motions with his arms, similar to a police man directing traffic. When all of the women went where ever they were told to go, McCoy came back to Chekov.

"Vould you like to explain all of zat?"

"No need my pubescent pal. Simply direct your gaze that way." He gestured toward the door.

One by one, girls were filtering through the crowd until they reached…Charmont. None of them – not one – looked happy or excited or anything other than extremely pissed off. A lot of finger pointing was going on and Charmont looked like he was trying to talk his way out of several things. But, the words didn't seem to be finding him.

Chekov deciphered that Charmont was _definitely _up shit creek with out a paddle. Those girls were seething.

"Vat did you tell all of zose girrrls?"

"Only that their 'exclusive' boy toy had brought a date with him tonight. Didn't take them long to figure out it wasn't them."

Chekov looked admiringly at his comrade. "Zanks." He said sheepishly.

"You can tell me that _after _you get laid. Now your lady is coming somewhere this way so – " McCoy gave Chekov a sharp push and he smacked into someone. Hard.

His developing fencing reflexes chimed in for once and he managed to catch the person.

He should have guessed.

"This seems vaguely familiar, except you didn't hit the floor this time." Karrina gave an impish smile. McCoy had subtly cleared off and Chekov was grasping for a sentence that sounded like it made sense.

She was dressed in a tight, leopard print cocktail dress. She had painted her nails and lips bright red and was wearing bright red, patent-leather peep toe heels which she walked in like a pro (she had fallen on Chekov's account). Her eye make-up was smudged and smoky. This was definitely her "fuck-me" outfit. She was _not _the sweet girl he had been with only a few hours ago. He wasn't entirely sure he liked this new girl either.

"You look verrry…nice Karri". He smiled, hoping she had forgotten their earlier conversation. She hadn't.

"Thanks. My date really appreciated it. It's nice someone does." The scowl on her face was very out of character for her, so was the sharp tounge.

"Look, about earlier…….I rrreally vant you to know… – " she started to turn her head to leave with her hand up like she didn't want to hear it. He knew that it was now or never. With a swift grab of her arm he twirled her in "By ze way, your date is a superrr douche. I can think of a much better substitute." She couldn't help but crack a smile. But, it faded. Her eyes grew innocent and he could feel her muscles slightly relax.

Then, it was like the Niagara Falls of apologies. "I juzt didn't zink we were rrready for zat and you threw yourrrself at me and I frrreaked out and I didn't vant you to think of me like zat, but next time ve'll plan eet and ve can pick – " she put a finger on his lips.

"Next time, and you better hope there is a next time – " she looked pointedly at him and he smiled "don't stress so much about being a gentleman and just go with it. If I want you to stop, I will tell you one hundred percent of the time. I'm a tough girl, dad wouldn't let me leave the house if I wasn't."

He looked at her for a minute and decided that he would just do what she wanted, unless he wanted to be a dog house again. He nodded and gave her a quick peck on the lips, which she turned in to a full on kiss.

When they broke apart, he snickered. He then looked over at the bar and saw Charmont resting a Ziploc bag with ice against his cheek. _One too many bitch slaps maybe?_ He only relished in the thought.

"Vhy don't ve go home and… vatch a movie or somethink? No prrressure, I prrromise."

"Well Mr. Chekov, I think I'll take you up on that offer. But, we go to my room first so I can get out of these clothes and into something comfy." Chekov started to protest that she didn't need to put on any sort of skimpy lingerie, but she stopped him. "I was thinking track pants and one of your t-shirts, if that's ok with you?"

"I zink zat would be acceptable. Prrrehaps some hot chocolate vould be velcome as vell?"

"I think that can be arranged".

Chekov had never felt so comfortable in his life. With his mug of hot chocolate and a gorgeous girl lounging on his lap wearing his shirt, he wished his friends back home could see him now. The movie wasn't bad, _The Proposal_ was kind of a chick flick, but Chekov found the scene with the grandmother and the dancing in the forest hilarious. Karrina must have thought so as well, because she was red in the face with laughter for about ten minutes. Life was pretty solid at this point.

**A few more reviews would be appreciated!**


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